16 Weeks and a Great Trip!

We just got back from our New Jersey / New York trip last night, which is why I'm a day late on posting... I'll start with the baby highlights and then tell you all about our trip!

Size of baby: avocado (I know it sounds weird, tell it to the baby tracker!)
Maternity clothes: Still just in a mix of maternity clothes, leggings, and long tunic sweaters
Movement: I don't know if they were "flutters" or not, but 2 times I have felt a little "pop" from the inside, like a pop that tickled... could be a flutter, could be nothing, but so far that's it
Food cravings: pickles!  Yes, I know how cliche that is, but yum!
What I miss: not really anything this week
Sleep: even on the trip, I slept surprisingly well!  At least for now, no pregnancy insomnia
Symptoms: really nothing.... I can't complain
Best moment this week: seeing a small part of NYC - it was amazing!
What I am looking forward to: Halloween!

On Wednesday night, we dropped Bailie off at her "vacation home" for while we would be gone.  A good friend of her old foster mom Nadine kept her for us, and it was so great!  She has a big yard, a shepherd and a husky, and Bailie was running around with both of them when we snuck away.  I didn't have to worry about her at all, and she nearly knocked me over jumping and licking me when we picked her up last night.

For our trip, the main highlight was going to the Navy / Notre Game on Saturday (for everyone else, the main highlight for ME was going to NYC!), but we drove down on Thursday so that we could go see the Statue of Liberty on Friday.  It was VERY windy that day, which made it feel so cold, but it was really fun to see.  You take a ferry from Liberty Park in New Jersey over to the statue, and also to Ellis Island (which we did not have time to go to).  We didn't have tickets to go up into the crown, but we were able to go up to the pedestal, which was quite a view.

These are pictures taken from Liberty Park, before you get on the ferry.  The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building are in the background:

The first 2 pictures here were taken from the ferry:

These are from the base, before you head up to the pedestal (which by the way, the elevator wasn't working, so that was 156 steps, which would not have been anything to me 4 months ago, but I was definitely feeling those steps by about 2/3 of the way up):

Here are some pictures from way up at the pedestal with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background:

We finished up with seeing the Statue of Liberty late in the afternoon, and then headed to the other hotel we would be staying at.  On our way, we stopped at Costco to pick up treats for tailgating on Saturday.... plus I was really getting hungry, so it was Costco to the rescue again!  Best hot dogs in the WORLD!  Yum!  After checking into our hotel, we went to dinner and then turned in.

On Saturday, we got to the stadium a little after 10.  The great thing about where we were staying is that there is a bus stop at a Marriott right across from the Holiday Inn.  You catch a bus there that takes you to the stadium for $1.50 - way better than driving there and paying $25/car to park.  We found our group, had some food, and then went inside for the game.  Now, pretty much everyone knows that football is not on my list of favorite things, but I have always said that while I am not a big sports fan, I really enjoy actually going to games.  Watching them on TV?  Ugh.  So boring.  Being there?  Super fun!  Here's a few pictures we took:

Then came the really fun part for me on Saturday night.  We took a bus downtown to Times Square (again, right across from the hotel, super convenient).  It drops you off at the NYC Port Authority Terminal, which is right in the middle of Times Square.  We went with some Canadian friends, Josh and Annie, who had gone in the night before for a little while.  Before actually seeing Times Square though, we took the subway a few stops away because all I wanted to do was go to Serendipity (the exact same place as in the movie with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale) and have frozen hot chocolate.  Since it was a 2-hour wait, we walked down to 5th Avenue too see all the shops - Barneys, Prada, Fendi, Dooney & Bourke..... if only money were no object!  It was fun to see all of these places, and especially funny to see the LINE to get inside Abercrombie & Fitch... really people?  Its not like NYC is the only location of that super over-priced pretty boy store.  It was also amusing to see all the illegitimate street vendors selling their knockoff handbags right on the ground on the sidewalk.  We walked quite a while - about 16 blocks one way - and ended up also seeing Radio City Music Hall and the NBC building.  Oh!  I forgot to add that we also found Heaven in NYC - the biggest candy store I've ever been in... it was crazy!  Even crazier was the $18 lollipop that Chris found.  $18!!!

After all this, we headed back to Serendipity and got right in to our table.  We had dinner and dessert there, and the frozen hot chocolate, both original and with peanut butter, is AWESOME:

 

I will say this about Serendipity - it was great to go there and experience, our food was great, the dessert was great, but the service is extremely slow and nearly terrible.  Even for a party of 4, they refused to separate the check for us, and they will try to take your drink before you're finished with it and then charge you for another refill.... but I'm glad we went.  It was fun, and even with the desserts being $9 each, 2 people could eat dinner and have dessert there, with tip, for about $60, so not bad for NYC.

After dinner, we took the subway back to Times Square.  The subway in New York was not nearly as intimidating as I thought it might be, but I think it helped that Chris and I had experience with DC's metro system, though it is MUCH smaller than New York's.  Walking around Times Square was simply amazing.  It is so full of lights that you would swear it could be day time!  There are also so many street vendors, little restaurants, shops.... and then there are the everyday things like Applebees and the Olive Garden and.... Tim Hortons - still trying to figure out why Canada's (crappy) version of Dunkin' Donuts is in NYC..... not sure.  Here are some pictures from Times Square (unfortunately, the lights are SO bright there that we couldn't get a good shot of the New Year's Eve ball, but we tried):

We left Times Square around 11 that night, caught the bus back to the hotel around 11:30, and I think we were back in our room around midnight.  On Sunday we got up, had breakfast, and got on the road around 10.  It was a very smooth and surprisingly quick ride home.  We made minimal stops, picked up a few groceries, crossed the border, picked up Bailie, and then we could relax being at home again.

Everyone kept asking me how Olive was doing for me during the trip - I guess great!  I never even got overly tired, not even the night we went downtown.  My appetite even stayed in check.  I felt great overall this week, and I am loving feeling this great while it lasts.  I am still anxious to look more pregnant and less like I've just been eating too much, which is how I felt most of this week.... though I'm sure I'll eat those words when I'm 30+ weeks!  I can't believe I'm now 16 weeks and a day.... In less than 2.5 weeks, we will see our baby again, and then about a week and a half later, we'll be to the halfway point!  Everything is coming so quickly - the anatomy scan (which in case anyone's wondering in the back of their minds - NO, we have not changed our mind about not finding out the sex, and even if the tech screws up and tells us, we'll still keep it a secret!), the cruise, Christmas (which I am SO excited for!), and then.... it will really be countdown to baby!

So that was our week!  It is cold and rainy here in lovely Ottawa, and Bailie and I are enjoying being cozy at home.  Its time for me to have some lunch, and then clean up a few things.  I will have a bump picture for you on Wednesday.  Until then! :-)