I was starting to go a bit stir crazy in the house and decided it was time for Nia and I to take our first outing (Dr’s visits don’t count). Â It was a WILD adventure. Â We started by going through the underground in an exciting tunnel… and ended up at Caribou Coffee...
It’s hard to believe, but Nia turns one week old today! As most parents would attest to, it’s been a complete and total blur. Nothing could have prepared me for the delusional state that results from the lack of sleep and intense hormones! We’re just taking it 1...
We are delighted to announce that after a 14 hour labor, we welcomed a healthy baby girl into our family. Her name is Nia Marisa Novak and she weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She was 20 inches in length and born at 12:39 PM in the afternoon on Saturday, October 22nd (we went into labor at...
So, tomorrow (October 21st) is my official due date. Â I had what I **HOPE** will be my last Doctor appointment this morning and was THRILLED to finally get some uplifting news. Â Here’s what we found out: I am 1 cm dilated! I am 50% effaced (that’s where the cervix thins out...
This is very amusing (and definitely makes me sound more important than I am). Â Browhaus, my favorite eyebrow threading place in the Philippines, turned my blog post into an endorsement of their shop! Â I can’t stop giggling – it makes me look like some authority on...
Patience has never been one of my strong suits and honestly, these last 10 days have been downright torturous for me as I await Baby Nia’s arrival. Â So much open space on the calendar and nothing to do but stare at my belly and will her to come out… Sensing my growing...
Here’s an insanely catchy tune by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas that’s garnered over 7 million hits on Youtube.  Check it out for yourself, it’s sure to brighten your day!  In fact, I’m so enamored with it that I’m thinking of making it my new personal...
I had an experience on Wednesday that gave new meaning to the phrase “Rolling Out the Red Carpet.” Â It was, hands down, one of the most exceptional service experiences I have ever had. Â I imagine you are trying to guess where this incredible service took place...
Baby is slowly starting to make her way down. Â Hopefully it’ll be any time now that we’re welcoming Nia into the world. . .
In case it isn’t obvious, I’ve got some MAJOR control issues surfacing around this whole birth thing. Â This is frustrating for a variety of reasons, but most notably because I’ve done a ton of personal work on this in the past and largely eliminated it from several...
As we’ve been preparing our household to welcome Baby Nia, I’ve noticed that my old money fears are popping up like mad (as they often do during transition periods).  Thankfully, this article showed up in my inbox today and totally put me at ease.  It comes from one of my...
A Brief History of My Relationship with My Body I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about when I say “my relationship with my body’. Â Surprisingly, we all have one. Â Think of it as a lens that we view our body through. Â Much like any...
Well folks, we’ve reached the 37 week mark and with all the recent pain in my legs from her compressing my sciatic nerve, I’m VERY ready for her to come out. Â And technically, I’m full term, so we’re good to go at any point from here on out (even though my...
It started out as one of those normal Thursday mornings. Â I woke up, got dressed and headed out for my short walk to Caribou Coffee to get my morning mocha. Â There was however one fun small change-up in my morning routine that I was looking forward to – it happened to be National...
I am officially registering a complaint! At 36 1/2 weeks, pregnancy is no longer fun. Â Yes, up until Saturday, I would have told you that I was having a jolly good time being pregnant. Â I felt like my tummy was relatively compact and sitting higher up (which was nice for my bladder)...
Fact: 10-15% of women are affected by postpartum depression (PPD). Fact: If you have a history of depression in your past, you are 30% MORE LIKELY than the average woman to get postpartum depression (PPD). Reality: Given my history of anxiety/depression, there’s a strong chance I...
I’ve been a girl on a mission this last week. Â While the setting up house was important insomuch as it made Nick and I feel more at ease, the critical issue at hand was putting together our birthing and postpartum team for Baby Nia’s delivery (who is due 5 weeks from...
I thought you’d enjoy seeing a couple pictures of where we’ll be living for the next few months. Â The decorating could definitely use some work (the downside of pre-furnished housing), but the view of the Washington Monument more than makes up for it! Â We’re already...
With less than 6 weeks to go now, I’m starting to acquire quite the bump. Â Honestly, it doesn’t feel that much bigger than the 30 wk bump and I’m crossing my fingers that it just stays right around this size! Nesting is in full force and I’m taking advantage of...
It’s been a heck of a week folks. Â Last Friday we pulled out of MN at 6 AM, headed for our nation’s capital. Â Given that I feel like humpty dumpty now at 34 weeks pregnant, I convinced Nick that we should split the drive over 3 days (roughly 5-6 hours a day). Â It ended up...
We had our 7th ultrasound of Nia today and I’m pleased to report that she’s thriving in my womb. Â She is up to a robust 5 pounds now and is measuring in the 78th percentile. Â I let her know that it’s just fine if she slows down her growing, as there will be plenty of...
After 3 months of being transient, I am pleased to say that we are finally en route to DC where we’ll reside for the next 9 months. Â The car is stuffed to the gills with all my garage sale baby finds (and yes, for those who are curious, we do need to ship some additional items...
Nick and I started our 8 day Road Trip in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday. Â We left from Bend, Oregon in our borrowed mini van (thanks to the in-laws) and motored our way west to the Oregon Coast. Â We spent our first night in Newport and enjoyed the best fish and chips the area had to...
What a fantastic second week in Bend, OR! Â We got to check out a couple of the hot spots including Smith Rock (top 3 photos) where rock climbers do their thing. Â Unfortunately we went at a time of day when not many were climbing, but the beauty of the place was still impressive. So cool...
We just wrapped up our fourth week of home leave (2 more weeks to go). Â A week ago we transferred from Minnesota to Bend, Oregon to visit Nick’s parents. Â This is my first time visiting the Northwest and WOW has it knocked my socks off. Â Perfect weather every day, fit people as...
As some of you may remember, we had booked our dream trip to Bhutan back in early 2011, about 2 weeks before we found out we were pregnant. Â Unfortunately, the altitude of Bhutan is such that they do not want pregnant women visiting there, so when the pregnancy test came back positive...
My belly is finally getting some substance to it now that I’m 2 weeks into the third trimester. Â Nick and I are currently in Bend, Oregon with Nick’s parents and I’m taking advantage of the beautiful views and peaceful environment. Â The picture above is a shot from...
FINALLY, a new cover from Sam. Hope you enjoy his version of Adele’s Rolling In the Deep! Happy Monday!
Nick and I spent the last week hanging with my family at our cabin in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. Â While our ultimate goal was just to relax and enjoy each others’ company, Nick managed to try out a few key “Minnesotan” experiences. Nick’s proudest moment of the week...
Have I mentioned that my husband amuses the heck out of me? Â Get this. Â He’s been begging me for months to find him a baby that he can practice diapering and swaddling on. Â He initially wanted a real baby, but I told him that was out of the question. Â I thought he’d...
On Sunday afternoon my Mom and Sisters threw a Baby Shower so our friends and relatives could celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Nia. Â Given that my Mom was in charge, guests knew that they could expect a memorable time (she has a reputation!) Â Being a big fan of party themes, I of...
Ummm, this may be the coolest thing I’ve seen in a month. Seriously, I dare you to watch this and not smile, giggle, or feel the need to jive a bit. Check out this brilliant Danish acapella doing showstopper’s from the 90’s that include: Haddaway’s...
Hi Blog Readers – I just got my first US ultrasound done last thursday. Â Boy was the tech surprised when she casually asked if this was my first ultrasound and I replied that it was actually my 6th! Â Then I had to go on to explain the liberal use of ultrasounds in Manila. Â She...
As most of you know, Nick and I have been apart since early June. Â While we’ve both done pretty well with the separation, I was pretty bummed that he wouldn’t be here for my birthday on July 9th. Â Thankfully, my friends came through with flying colors and helped me forget...
As I wrote yesterday, I’ve had a fascinating time tuning into my body over the course of this pregnancy. Â I’ve realized that my physical body is just another way that I receive messages, just like I can through my mind or my intuition. Â The problem is, it’s easy to...
One of the best pregnancy benefits I’ve experienced thus far has been an increased awareness of my body. Â I think this occurs naturally for most pregnant women, but to varying degrees depending on the degree to which you let it affect you. Â As with anything, I realized that there...
Owning a cabin is pretty dang amazing. Â I mean, there was nothing like the ‘cabin lifestyle’ in Manila. Â Hence, I am appreciating all my glorious time here. Â As you might imagine, the 3 most active weekends on the lake are Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. Â 4th of...
Miller Sisters at the Groom’s Dinner. L to R: Beth (3rd), Emily (2nd), Jenna (4th), Sarah (1st) It was a big weekend in the Miller Household. Â Emily Miller (second oldest) married her superstar guy Andrew Sullivan. Â Since these events only come around once in a lifetime...
As with all things in this pregnancy, I am finding it impossible to wait. Â Yes, I could hold out on you and not tell what the name is till the birth. Â But that’s just not my style! Surprisingly, we settled on one of the first names we came up with. Â We both intuitively knew that...
Big day today.  After an extensive search, I finally selected my Prenatal Yoga Studio.  I ended up choosing Blooma in St. Paul, which is devoted exclusively to Pre and Post-natal Yoga, in addition to Mom & Baby Yoga classes.  The studio is located in an adorable house on Grand...
I know you’re sick of hearing about baby and my amazing garage sale finds. Â The thing is, that’s what I’m obsessed with at the moment. Â I think garage-saling is my form of nesting since I don’t have a home of my own right now or a nursery to decorate...
Last week was stressful. Â So stressful, in fact, that I couldn’t even write about it until today when all the residual stress had been massaged out of me. Â And what, you might ask, had me in such a state of misery? Â USED CAR SHOPPING, that’s what. I’m sure some of you...
Little did I know that when I got back to the States I’d become a garage sale addict, but boy is it intoxicating to find great deals on barely-used baby stuff. Â Seriously, for those who haven’t thought of purchasing baby clothes at a garage sale before, contemplate this: 1.)...
I know I’ve been MIA for too long by the large number of emails and FB messages I’ve been getting about why I’m not posting. Â Thank you all for being such devoted readers who appreciate my blogging (and hold me accountable for doing it!) It’s been a...
Hi all- Â I hit the halfway mark of the pregnancy this week and thought I’d post another picture since I’m finally starting to have a legitimate belly. Â Just pulled out the first maternity clothes this week so there’s no going back now… Sorry for the lack of posts...
Click the photo to check out the highlights from our most recent photo book!
I know I haven’t written much about my favorite up-and-coming-singer Sam Tsui lately and that’s mainly because he’s been busy finishing up his Senior Year at Yale (which doesn’t leave much time for YouTube video-making). Had to share this with you as proof of Sam...
Over the weekend I had the privilege of touring a Garment Factory that one of my expat friends owns. Â It’s a large-scale production, producing roughly 25,000 pieces per day and employing over 1000 people. I’ve had a thing for factory tours since my Target days when I...
24 years my senior, I never expected for Marisa and I to become so close. Â I originally met Marisa during my volunteer work at Carewell. Â She was a frequent attendee and ended up participating in several of my group Life Coaching sessions. Â Although a bit skeptical about...
I’m less than 3 weeks from returning to my beloved homeland and man oh man is . . . MINNESOTA ON MY MIND! Â Bring on the cabin and Caribou and changing temps and State Fair and lawn games and strawberries and sunset at 9 PM and breakfast boat rides and (I could go on forever, but I...