Afternoon Tea, Baby Aiyer style

On Saturday, July 13, Emily and Shilpi hosted my afternoon tea themed baby shower at Flora & Muse Cafe. We got off to a rocky start with the event coordinator but it ended up in a round of free drinks for my friends, so I guess it wasn't all bad:)

I ordered the decor from a store in the UK (thanks Nary) and it was just perfect. I'm planning on re-using the bunting for the baby's room and I'm sure it will come in handy again for her first birthday. I even found tea crackers! My friends definitely had fun with that.

Variety of teas

My pretty hosts:) 

Cracker fun:)

Ram came just in time to open the gifts, lol

I was so great to finally have some girl time. I really appreciated those that came from afar. Special shout out to Jillian who represented the 'Deen!

We got super cute presents and I just have to show y'all a few. This baby's wardrobe is already growing by leaps and bounds!

She's already got swim gear. Thanks Aunt Vicky! 

Her first designer clothing, the white onesies are from Diane Von Furstenburg's new baby line at Gap. Thanks Varsha, Nasreen, Monica, Sonar, Ami, Rachana & Ragini Masi's. I almost don't want her to wear them and get ruined!

The next day we took a 3 day mini-vacay to Vegas. It was a nice break from all the excitement and a chance for Ram and I to re-connect...with Encore that is:) People were skeptical when I mentioned we were going to Vegas but Encore was well ventilated and until 10pm, I had no issues with smoke. It was kinda hard though at night to see all the women dressed up in cute outfits, cocktail in hand. In hindsight, maybe Vegas was not great for my ego because I felt as big as a whale. But at the end of the day, I'm glad we went. We had a spa day, checked out some of the new restaurants at the hotel and saw the new Michael Jackson show at Mandalay Bay. IT WAS AWESOME. Baby girl was kicking the entire time. I think she's going to be a dancer. I highly recommend anyone going to Vegas to see the show, I really want to see it again!

Houston Recap: A Weekend of Celebrations

We took the long 16 hour journey back to Houston and landed on Independence Day. We had to get Taco Bell and some good home cooking from my mom outta the way before hitting the sack. I remember my head hitting the pillow as the sound of the first round of firecrackers lulled me to sleep. Jet lag is a b*tch y'all.

The next day, after devouring Whataburger breakfast taquitos, was the first of few days we knew we would have to ourselves. We had a big week ahead of us. Turns out, Baby Girl Aiyer is not the only new addition to the family this year...

Tuesday, my newly engaged sister arrived in town from NYC. First stop, Chuys, of course! (Gotta throw in all the delicious food we ate as much as possible!). After some shopping, we headed home to prepare for my brother's upcoming wedding. After what seemed like an eternity, my baby brother Kunal, and fiance Emily, finally set a date! We were thrilled that they decided to have a family only court marriage while we were in town. So on Thursday, July 11, 2013, I finally got a new sister-in-law. Emily was a glowing bride and my brother looked so proud and happy. It was a perfectly short and sweet ceremony followed by dinner and cake at Backstreet Cafe.  Click here to view pics.

The celebrations didn't end there. Late that night, my sister's fiance, Jake, flew in from NYC. Since we only had 2 short days with him in town, I wanted to plan a little engagement party for them the next day, which also happened to be my mom's birthday. So the whole time I was trying to get my family (minus Shilpi) on board to have a double celebration that night. I ordered a cake and everything. But my family was being unreasonably difficult and kept saying they wanted to celebrate them separately on Saturday night. I reminded them that my shower was Saturday and I wanted to keep the evening free to see my friends that came from out of town. I couldn't understand why they were insistent that we celebrate Saturday night instead and was very upset with them.

Come Friday afternoon, Ram, seeing my stubborness in high gear and still fighting to have a mini-celebration that night for my sister, decided to get me out of the house for a few hours. He said he was going to happy hour with friends and suggested that I come. Going to a happy hour while pregnant did not sound appealing to me but I figured it would get my mind off of things. Few hours later, we came back home for dinner and turns out, the surprise was on me. Apparently, our families planned a surprise baby shower for us with both sides present.  I was shocked. My mom was so sweet to share her birthday with her kiddos but I know she was in heaven with all the good news buzzing around. It was great to have the families together to share in our happiness.

Baby's first nursery book filled with everyone's well wishes. One of the many thoughtful gifts from family. 

Ram's cute niece and nephew

But I couldn't let the night end without celebrating my sister's engagement! It was great to hang out again with my soon to be brother-in-law:)

The happy couple! 

It was an exciting week but the fun was not over. The next day was my official baby shower and I can't wait to tell y'all about it! 

Ranch Chicken

I begin my 21st week today and after next week, I'll be starting my 6th month of pregnancy! I have definitely noticed a surge in hunger in the past few weeks. All the baby books say, you will be ravenous all the time but don't eat extra calories until your 3rd trimester. Are you serious?!?!?! I subscribe to the 6 small meals a day regiment, but this growing baby always wants MORE.

My number 1 craving so far has been Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich (sorry Laine!). If I could eat that everyday, I would. But for obvious reasons, it cannot be:( Why does the good stuff have to be so bad for you?! Sounds like baby girl knows she's a southerner and loves fried chicken (just like her daddy)!

The past few weeks we've been trying to be especially healthy because we know once we land in Houston, we are not holding back on our cravings. So in an effort to curb my fried chicken craving, I decided to try this recipe I recently pinned. It's meant to be a healthy version of "fried" chicken, and I found it to be really satisfying.

All you need is chicken, butter and the following dry ingredients (3/4 cup of each):

Used a rolling pin to get the corn flakes the same consistency as bread crumbs

Then you dip the chicken in melted butter (I used about 1/4 cup for 6 pieces of chicken and still had a little left over to drizzle on them halfway through baking) and cover in your "breading" mixture.

Dredging

Oven ready!

45 minutes later, voila! As I mentioned earlier, I drizzled a little more butter on the chicken pieces to make sure they didn't dry out during baking and I flipped them over at the halfway mark. Of course, the meal would not have been complete without mashed potatoes (no substitute for that!).  Equally important, the meal got Ram's stamp of approval, so it was a win-win:)

What foods have you found healthy substitutes for? 

We're having a....

GIRL. Who guessed right? Ram and I were thrilled when our intuitions were confirmed. Who doesn't want a girl? Girls are just so precious. And I'm already excited at the opportunity to dress my baby doll up:)

Sadly we didn't get a sneak peak at Baby Girl Aiyer's face because she was being stubborn (just like me) and hiding her face. We'll have another chance in a few months though:) Of course my head is swarming with thoughts of how this baby is going to look. Will she be a blend of Ram and I? Will she be a mini-me? It's so crazy to think that in 5 short months, we'll find out.

The number 1 question now is what her name will be. We have a few names in mind (Tanvi Jr. is the front runner at the moment) but I don't think we can definitely settle on a name until we meet her. In the meantime, we'll happily entertain suggestions:)

We are excited as ever for our upcoming trip to Houston. Can't wait to spend several weeks shopping for all things baby and satisfying all my Houston cravings and being surrounded by our loved ones. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

He??? or She??? It's no longer a mystery!

                                                          http://youtu.be/XJ-QF42AXs4

Halfway Mark

Today marks the start of my 20th week. I cannot believe I'm already halfway through this pregnancy. The baby is now the size of a small cantaloupe. Just 4 short weeks ago, the baby was the size of an orange! Take a look: 

The upcoming doctor's appointment has been weighing heavily on our minds lately. Pretty soon we will get to see our little one in 4D and finally know whether it's a he or she. The wait has been excruciating. The only thing that lifted my head out of the fog was feeling the baby's first kicks last night. Ram was able to feel the tiny kicks too. It was incredible.  

Until recently, I felt strongly we were having a girl. But lately I've been having dreams that baby Aiyer is a boy. Of course I've looked into every old wives tale out there, but they still didn't narrowed it down.  Here are the most common ones: 

1. Highs and lows

If you're carrying high, break out the pink. If your bump is low, you're carrying a boy --> BOY 

2. Beating Heart

 According to legend, 140+ beats per minute indicates a girl, and below a boy --> GIRL

3. Spot on

If you're breaking out like crazy, blame it on your girl. The belief goes that girls steal their mother's beauty, hence, those annoying zits --> GIRL (I don't recall having this many zits even as a teenager:/)

4. Queasy does it

Sick as a dog during the first trimester -- or still? Signs indicate you're having a girl. Little or no morning sickness points to a boy --> BOY 

In just a few more days, our wait will be over, and our lives forever changed. Stay tuned! 

Far East Texans: Singapore Edition

We arrived in Singapore on Thursday afternoon. Our driver from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (surprise no. 7) was waiting for us. Thankfully it was a short 20 minute drive from the airport. We stayed on the same floor as the club lounge, so Ram had easy access to the complimentary happy hour upon arrival:) Our location was perfect. We were within minutes of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino. The views of during the day and night were spectacular from our room.

Twinkies:) 

The Flyer (similar to the London Eye)

Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino

Marina Bay

Our first night, we had dinner reservations at Mario Batali's restaurant located in the Mall next to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. We opted for the pizza & meatballs which were delicious. Afterwards, we engaged in our favorite past time at the casino.

After a not so great night at the casino, we spent the next day at the Singapore Zoo. It rained the entire time but the Zoo was still gorgeous. It was open and foresty and the animals seemed so close you could almost touch them. They also have a nighttime safari that I heard is fun, but how can you properly see the animals at night?

White Tigers. Did you know all of the tiger species are Asian? 

Putting his trainer's hat back on

Doesn't the background look fake?

Beautiful creatures:) 

A few minutes before this shot the lion was humping the other one, lol 

Friday night we hit up a popular area called Clarkay, which is full of trendy bars and restaurants. I was craving tex-mex (only one more month before we get the real deal!!!), so we tried Cafe Iguana. We saw queso on the menu and HAD to order it, even though we knew it wouldn't be the same (it wasn't). But the drinks and fajitas were really good. Afterwards, we dragged our sorry butts back to the casino to try our luck again. This time, we left with some loot:) Enough extra cash that we decided to pamper ourselves at the spa the next day.

Finally, a proper frozen drink!

Enjoying a michelada after a long time:) 

They call this queso. We call it melted shredded cheese.

After the spa on Saturday, we went to a dim sum brunch at the hotel which was an award winning restaurant. Unlimited dim sum? Yes please!!! At brunch Ram kept hinting that we should go back to the casino one last time before the show. I kept saying that we shouldn't push our luck, but ultimately I gave in. And glad I did! We did so well, we were able to pay for our entire Singapore trip in cash:) I think baby is good luck:)

This was round 1 of many...

Dessert!

After a high at the casino, Ram's final surprise was Dirty Dancing show tickets. I was SO happy. When we moved to Aberdeen last year, Dirty Dancing had its final showing that weekend. We found out after the fact and I was upset we missed it. Then we found out that they would be showing in Edinburgh, one hour away, in December. Unfortunately we had to move in December so those plans were shattered. I thought I would never get the chance to see the show, but Ram made it happen! They did an excellent job of following the movie to the T, dances and all! It made me so nostalgic that I watched the movie again when we got home:)

All in all it was an unforgettable getaway before baby Aiyer graces us with his/her presence.  Two more weeks before we find out the gender! Ahhhhh