Right around this time, I remember thinking… this isn’t half bad, I can still put on my old tee-shirts (stretch the heck our of them), a pair of my trusty maternal leggings, and call it a day. These days, I wouldn’t even do that to said shirts, as it would be considered a new form of cruel and unusual punishment.
While we were out and about on our excursion last week (see here on Week 30), I had come across a “little prince” shirt (I think I bought monster boy something for 5/6 year olds since that’s basically what he wears nowdays) plus a onesie. A onesie!!! Both were sold at Strand – who knew they carried such an awesome line of tees?
There you have it, it marked our very first purchase for the little guy, right at the very last week of my seven months stretch... thus is plight of the second child! If I told you how early it was that I started buying outfits for our first, it would become rapidly embarrassing (in fact, you can read all about it here at week 16!).
Worry not however, I more than made up for it during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping extravaganza – call it hormonal or a bout of delayed “nesting syndrome” but our little #2 guy is definitely SET as far as his 0-3 months wardrobe goes.
O Christmas Tree, o Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches.
Okay, so I recognize that it’s not even December yet, and my earlier, pre-mommy-self would have been horrified at the thought of doing anything Christmas-related over (gasp!) Thanksgiving weekend. The thought!
Then again, things change quite remarkably when you have a munchkin – and even more so as you’re anticipating the imminent arrival of a second munchkin right around the holidays. All that said, we’ve resigned to the fact that this year, we’ll DEFINITELY be staying put for the holidays (as opposed to past three years where we've celebrated Christmas down in Southwest Florida).
As with everything in life, there is always a silver lining – and let’s face it, Christmas in New York City can be quite magical. Sure, the cold can get to you sometimes (though last Christmas, as I recall, folks were in t-shirts running around in central park… yet another testament to the fact that yes, climate change is VERY REAL). This year, the silver lining is, we get to decorate our very first Christmas tree!!!
Looking back, in the eleven years that I’ve been with hubs, we’ve actually NEVER bought a tree together. For one thing, we hardly even stayed on the same continent for Christmas, let alone entertaining the notion of holiday home décor. There were two Christmases in New Zealand (2005 and 2011), one in Shanghai (2006), followed by Cartagena (2008) and Buzios (2010), oh yeah – and then there was that one Christmas in Belize (2009) where I got my diving cert and celebrated with some close friends as hubs was working (and getting food poisoning) abroad. Yes, yes, that’s right now that I’m jogging my own memory, it wasn’t until 2012, when I started this blog, that we actually (gasp!) STAYED HOME for Christmas… and the only reason we did so was because I was in the early throes of pregnancy and we were being overly precautious. I remember my friend Grace from the Daily Obsession gasping at our lack of travel plans over the holidays. "Who are you?!" She gasped. At the time, it was a perfectly fair response.
The rest, as they say, was history.
So there you have it, welcome to the new normal – where hubs defiantly humps a big ol’ Christmas tree back to our apartment from Wholefoods (to be fair, he could have just had it delivered but I think he insisted on carrying it over his shoulders purely based on principle). The look of joy on our little Rockshic Baby’s face though! He was sooooooo thrilled to have a tree and decorate it. In truth, I’ve never seen a more invested munchkin, and we both agree that the endeavor was well worth the rewards. Hubs even half jokingly said last night, “we are never getting rid of that tree,” as it has quickly proven to be the best vehicleever for good-behavior bribery. That’s right! Thus is the world of parenthood, where you literally have to negotiate all day long with your three-year-old (going on thirteen) toddler. #momtruth
Flotsam, jetsam! This type of falling/wreckage happened quite frequently. Of course, hubs was all too happy to photograph the evidence when it did occur. #paddleboardfail
The trip was meant to be a birthday hurrah (my first one since becoming a mom!), and indeed I had flip-flopped back and forth so hard with regards to taking our 8 months that hubs eventually just gave up and ignored me everytime I made my last "exectuive decision." It was almost comical when we at last turned up at the ticket counter (with no baby in tow) and the flight attendant looked us square in the face and exclaimed, “I believe you’re missing a passenger!”
Ha... now THERE'S an understatement if I ever heard one.
All that aside, it was actually quite a momentous and happy trip -- one which I would highly recommend to *all new parents.* Not only did we get to reconnect in more ways that you can possibly imagine, but we also got to do things that simply weren’t feasible had munchkin been around, like paddle boarding!
The thing with paddle boarding, I’ve come to realize, is that it’s all about upper body strength, which I didn’t have a lot of at the time (still don't, but that's a whole separate story!). We were certainly lucky with the aquamarine water being so calm, and now as I look back at the pics, I can’t help but feel a new sense of hope, inspiration, and rejuvenation. Eight months post-partum, and I didn't look half bad!!! Granted, this was also at the height of my nursing phase, and you burn a loooooot of calories breastfeeding (see feature here on nursing and pumping).
So here is hope to returning to a bigger and badder version of my old-body, as I craddle my enormously expanding belly, which more or less prohibits me from doing anything at the moment, let alone paddle boarding.
Striking a pose! There are some tricks of the trade that I've learned over the years while posing in a bikini. For a full length detail on my "how-to's," all documented from our Turks and Caicos trip, see here.
We are getting closer on our catch-up phase. Still the seventh months, but at least we’re now in the “thirties” phase. Technically I’m more approaching 31 weeks than 30 here (note that 31 weeks also marks the end of the seven months of pregnancy), but it kind of all blends in at this stage as I basically became married to my cape/poncho look. Here I’m donning my Isabella Oliver Camrose Maternity Poncho – yours truly has long been a fan of the brand (see here), and this piece and I have largely been inseparable for the better part of my third trimester.
Somehow, I feel like my second “Elegant Expecting” series has been as much about the chronicles of munchkin as it’s been about me. It’s been quite the journey, particularly as we prep our little man on his future of becoming a BIG BROTHER. This particular series is all about mommy, munchkin, poncho, and costumes. That’s right costumes! We were just approaching the Halloween spirit… and we took the little one to the Halloween store in Union Square, coupled with a visit to the Strand Bookstore, Zumiez, (our neighborhood skater store), plus a Superhero-themed birthday store. Life is good for our Rockshicbaby, especially when dressed in his favorite Skeleton hoodie.
This is the fourth Thanksgiving that I am celebrating on Rockshic, and it certainly feels like the most fragile one yet.
I know I know… every year I get totally sentimental and reflective on this page, but this year truly feels different – like we are on the brink of some real changes. I, for one, am not so optimistic about these prospective changes…
Will we be okay?
I think so.
We will always persevere and move on and become bigger/better/stronger. I also recognize that I live in a little bubble of shiny privilege, a bubble which my family and I had carefully cultivated and worked so relentlessly hard to achieve – but a bubble nonetheless, exemplifying a beacon of top benefits and excess that those less fortunate do not get to experience on a day-to-day basis, if ever.
The last few weeks/months have been a circus ride for me, particularly at work. I will share the full story later on, but right now I’m still in a rather fragile stage. Of course, being deeply pregnant (nine months now so clock’s a-ticking!!!) doesn’t really help my mental state, particularly as I’m going through some serious emotional turmoil as a result of pre-birth/pregnancy stress at my job. But hey, as they say, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right?
As I look back at myself four years ago – I realize how difficult times have been. What I’m experiencing currently, as painful as it might be, still doesn’t quite compare to the pains of 2010, 2011, and 2012. You see, back then we had wanted a baby, so, so desperately (I had wanted one as early as 2008, when we tied the knot, even though I was at the height of my twenties and by no means “ready”).
In fact, wanting a baby so desperately and failing to achieve a viable pregnancy was part of the reason why I launched Rockshic in the first place because I was just driving myself absolutely mad with all of the hormone injections, beta tests and the countless disappointments that ensued. It also didn’t make matters any easier where all of my friends (or so it seemed at the time) were virtually getting pregnant at the snap of a finger. Again, looking back this was not by any means true but the subjective, human perception can really play cruel tricks on you!
You see, when you’re going through the challenges of infertility – you quickly come to grips with the fact that no amount of hard labor, money, dedication, or even straight-up praying/wishful thinking can get you what you want. It is then that you feel truly helpless and hopeless, like you’ve hit rock bottom.
So looking back, I realized that if we’ve gotten through that particular hard hurdle – with one beautiful, awesome little Rockshic Boy who turned three not more than three months ago, and another one on the way – then we can withstand anything and it’ll all be OKAY… even if the world around us does not seem okay as it threatens to tilt over the brink of calamity. Sigh... and to think that we had such high hopes on Election Day 2016.
Today, we embrace each other and cherish all the beautiful things around us.
The 29th (nearly 30th week) of my pregnancy was wrought with lots of ups and downs. I was going through a ton of reorganization crisis at work, stressed beyond comprehension, and yet… well, something wonderful also happened. By sheer happenstance I was able to take a mini break from work (a much needed salvation), and it also allowed me to plan a last minute, impromptu anniversary dinner at Per Se, featured here.
We had initially intended to go away to Rhinebeck in celebration of our anniversary. Though when that fell through (and I wasn’t disappointed that it did, given all of the stress from work and given that munchkin was under the weather), I was almost despondent that we were just going to let the whole affair slide. Though never fear! What is life without a little streak of adventure, I say. Thanks to a last minute strike of luck on Opentable, coupled with a back-up sitter, we were able to sneak in for an early-ish sit down at Per Se. The rest was history.
I put on my favorite navy dress (a seven months pregnancy staple), last seen here at 27 weeks, coupled with this lightweight floral sheath that I purchased recently (more of a hippie child look but I am kind of loving it for pregnancy). The only thing that was missing was a nice fedora to go with, though I suppose that wouldn’t have fitted in very well for Per Se! You can’t quite see it, but I was wearing this peacock hair piece that I purchased from my recent trip to Salem… a little bit of art & period piece to accompany our fine dining experience!
P.S. Would you believe... EIGHT YEARS OF MARRIAGE! We have a beautiful little three year old at home -- who drives us bonkers half the time but we love him to pieces... and another little man on the way!!! Time truly flies when you're doing so much together.
Happy weekend! Mamma’s still playing catch-up, but we are definitely getting closer!!!
Week 28 officially marks the beginning of the seven months, and the start of the third trimester. It was also the last “alone” trip that hubs and I took as a couple, as we drove to Salem, Massachusetts for a friend’s wedding (featured here). It was a beautiful affair, and also one of the more gorgeous Fall weekends that I’ve got to enjoy.
I kept telling myself then that I was “almost there” (ha!), though I did absolutely love my body at that stage. I wasn’t so uncomfortable that it was difficult to move around, and yet I was confident enough in my bump that I was ready to flaunt it everywhere. If I had to make a marker, I would say that this was the point where I officially recognized that the bump was HERE, and it was here to stay!!! Therefore, instead of trying to “hide it,” I was absolutely ready to embrace it.
Plus, who can resist bringing a little bit of downtown NY sass to a New England wedding? This was the outfit I wore to the wedding ceremony held at the Immaculate Conception, afterwards hubs and I went and grabbed a cup of tea at our favorite tea shop in town, called “Jolie Tea Company.” If I lived in Salem, I basically envision myself coming here like, every single day. It’s just so darn irresistible!
Okay okay – so I’m **totally** behind on my preggo-style series, though it’s always fascinating to look back and see how different things were back then. I remember feeling super uncomfortable and “big” at this stage (boy did I have no idea what was in store!!!). This likely marked the last "chapter" of my pregnancy where I could fool myself into thinkilng that I could fly under the radar when it comes to looking pregnant. Don't get me wrong, it's still not a guarantee that I'd get a seat on the subway, and to be fair this was also the weekend where I helped host my bestie her baby shower and half the people there expressed surprise that I was pregnant. Looking back, I realize that they were probably just being nice. More on that another time.
Speaking of the baby shower... all I can remember was thinking -- man!! I'm so big and unruly, and God it's hard to walk in these heels. It was so hot outside (or so I thought) and I hated walking in heels. Thank goodness for my Tieks, which I'm wearing at the Graffiti park here and which I wore on most days throughout my second trimester. I don’t wear my Tieks much these days now that I'm well into my third (largely also due to the weather change), but this dress I still don every once in a while. Back then I looked like a swallowed a bowling ball, but these days, well these days… it’s more like a gigantic Jack O’Latern pumpkin that's just hanging out inside of my belly.
The best part of the day was welcoming Fall with my delectable munchie. We went to the First Street Green Art Park on the corner of Houston and 1st street. We loved gazing at wall art (you know how I obsessed I am with graffiti), munchkin was digging his Orange Pumpkin sunnies, and best of all, they were handing out free apple cider in the classic/traditional NY coffee cups! Truly the perfect Autumn in New York experience...
Incidentally, this also marked the end of my SIXTH months of pregnancy (yet another milestone as it also coincided with the finish of the second trimester). Now it is onwards and upwards to my third trimester! Whoo-hoo! #thefinalpush
Well, it’s taken me quite some time to recover from the aftermath of Election Day, as I’m sure it has been the case for many people in this country.
I must say, it’s been truly difficult to see an America this divided (harder than I had ever imagined), and to witness a world that is increasingly becoming more nationalistic and isolationist. I get emotional just anticipating all the changes that’s in store for my children and the next generation to come… speculating the maddening unknowns and potential darkness that is in store for them.
That said, this weekend has been deeply cathartic in so many ways. For one, we got to take munchkin to his very first concert in the Upper East Side with the Little Kids Orchestra, which was quite the experience! After a tumultuous week, filled with toxicity, anxiety, and non-stop news watching (not knowing what to believe after a certain point), it’s just a joy to sit down and enjoy the classics and to appreciate something truly pure and untainted. Same goes for munchkin, as I see the look of bewilderment and wonder in his eyes during moments when the strings are belting out Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Of course, my little man was not quite able to sit down and fully appreciate the performance in its entirety, but I was nevertheless proud of his ability to remain focused for at least half an hour. Most of all, I was incredibly impressed with the other children in the audience, who were all very well behaved!
Here’s to a better week… to moving on with dignity and grace the way Hillary seemingly has, to the sun shining once again in the morning, and to the idea that some things may not be as bleak as we had originally thought. I’m still emotionally drained at this stage, but I am hopefully that with time, things will shape up for our country and for the world.
That’s right, the Tuesday following the first Monday is shaping up to be quite the momentous day here in the nation.
After what can only be described as an incredibly polarizing and stress-inducing election season (all of which certainly ramped up at full decibel within the past few weeks), I can finally see that the sunshine is coming out – literally and figuratively!
It’s an absolutely gorgeous autumn day, and there is hope emerging for all to breathe a deep sigh of relief and look forward to a brighter tomorrow. I, for one, am very optimistic.
Best of all, I got to share this incredibly special moment with my Nuke Baby. He told me that he was going to share his “voting” sticker with all of his friends in school – and my heart melted.
How can I not treasure this moment? It’s my little man’s first-ever US Presidential election! He may not be old enough to comprehend what’s going on, but one day (very soon) he will, and I cannot wait to share with him all of these unique experiences and photos which will capture this very special moment.
After all, we’re making history today – voting for what could well be the very first female president this country has ever seen, and taking this nation back… a nation that is no doubt in need of deep recovery after so much flagrant anti-immigrant, anti-globalization, and just altogether anti-progress rhetoric. As an immigrant myself, and also married to a fellow immigrant, how can we ever, possibly support the idea that a world shrouded under isolationism and xenophobia would be a better world for this country’s future?
I’ve shared my thoughts and emotions from the last presidential election here, going back to 2012 – the momentous year when I had launched Rockshic Style and just shortly before I became pregnant with my little man. Now I’m carrying our second son, and feeling equally proud, emotional, and understandably conflicted about all that’s around me. The state of the world, as we speak, is very fragile, for a myriad of reasons that I can’t even get into right this moment. Even so, I still have faith that my children will see a better world ahead, a country that will shed love and equal right for all, and hopefully one that’s less divided than its current state. Whatever the course may be, I am still incredibly happy to be sharing it with my loved ones and all of you.
Based in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rock Shic is an excerpt taken from my personal lookbook of real people around the world. It is a combination of aesthetics, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. I also offer personalized Lookbook Consulting and Styling upon request. Please contact me at rockshic (at) gmail (dot) com. Services include: Wardrobe Analysis, Closet Organization, and Personal Shopping.
