Author: Trina

Natalie and I have been talking about a ladies lunch at Restoration Hardware all summer long— and today we made it happen. All I can say is this: The hype is real, people.

It’s a beautiful space and we got to take it all in from a corner table. We decided to check our strollers after realizing that they might be taking away from the ambience. I had a club sandwich with fries and truffle garlic mayo. Delicious. And the cold brew on tap was on point.

After lunch we wandered around a bit. I was particularly interested in the kids’ floor because I wanted some nursery inspiration– but I think the emotion I felt could better be described as envy. Wow. We were like kids in a toy store taking it in. The rooms were so beautiful we couldn’t help but take some photos. Luckily the store was pretty empty on a Wednesday afternoon so no one- except some security staff who, no doubt, thought we were crazy- noticed. I decided that Arabella needs the fur chair below for her nursery. Obviously. (And therefore she will also need a new nursery. Because if she actually got this chair there wouldn’t be room for her crib).

When Arabella and I got home we picked up my parents- who were also out to lunch- and headed to Carter’s. There was a big clearance going on so we picked up a few basics for fall.

When we got back Arabella was desperately in need of a nap. She slept while we ate some pizza. When she woke up, we gave her her first baby food. Bananas! And she seemed to like them. We also put her in her crib and took the obligatory photo we didn’t take when she was in it for the first time earlier this week. So cute.

While Natalie and I were at lunch today we got to talking about diaper changing etiquette. Specifically, when is it OK to change your baby in public— and when should you go to the restroom? If the girls needed changed, was this a place we could change them? (Obviously not… but where do you draw the line?) I’m guilty of changing Arabella on the floor at friends houses.. on chairs and/or the ground at the airport.. and perhaps most controversial in the eyes of my husband, in her stroller bassinet at various restaurants. I always have zip lock bags to stuff the diapers in and promptly throw them away, but does that make it OK? Are other moms horrified by my etiquette? Let me know what you think in the comments… and if you feel like fessing up, what’s the most inappropriate place YOU have changed a diaper? (For the record- no diapers were changed at our lunch table table. Today being the key word 😉)

DD and MJ arrived this morning for the second round of their September childcare tour. Their train arrived early this time meaning they got to the house in time to see Arabella eating her morning cereal from a spoon. They hadn’t eaten yet, so we walked to Janik’s for a late breakfast/early lunch before I went to work.

After lunch I did some tummy time with Arabella. She is getting so strong! She is also able to hit the buttons on her tummy time toy with her hands now. I’m not sure that she understands what she is doing, but she seems to enjoy the toy. She also napped in her crib for the first time today. It’s a good thing I stressed about getting the nursery done before she was born. First time using it? Four and a half months old. (Take note, moms-to-be!)

My story at work tonight was about Bradley Cooper visiting Chicago to promote his new movie- A Star Is Born. I got so many texts/social media messages from people gushing about my “meeting Bradley Cooper.” I wish I had! My story was put together using my Telemundo colleague Maria Elena’s interview. (Our hair looks somewhat similar from the back, so you can’t really tell it’s not me in the video). She got to spend about ten minutes with Bradley Cooper and ask him all about the movie and some fun questions about Chicago. So yeah, it was Maria Elena who met the hunky Hollywood celeb tonight– not me. But I did get to do a story about him– which is the best best thing, right?

Fun facts about Bradley Cooper:

– His favorite part of being in Chicago is the deep dish pizza.

– He’s a fellow Georgetown grad. #hoyasaxa

Arabella did something today that I have never done– she watched football with her dad. It’s true. Since I was working, Jarmon and Arabella dressed in their best black and gold attire and watched the Steelers game on our couch. Jarmon sent me this adorable photo of Arabella wielding a pink terrible towel while I was at work. I have zero interest in anything Steelers, but seeing how happy this made Jarmon melted my heart. (Arabella looks pretty happy too, right??)

Speaking of work– it was my first post-baby Sunday working with photog Brian. Back in April, Brian told me he was worried that post-baby Trina wouldn’t be as cool as pregnant Trina (i.e.- wouldn’t want to stop for lunch). Today, I proved him wrong and showed up very eager to eat.

Tonight, Jarmon and I embarked on week two of our new routine: Sunday night grocery shopping. When we got home, Jarmon ate rotisserie chicken out of the container while I put away groceries and meal prepped for the week. I guess this is what they mean by adulting.

Today was an action-packed and fun-filled day.

The day started at 9a when jarmon took Baxter to the trainer for a refresher course. The refresher classes are included with our original training but until now we hadn’t taken advantage of them. According to Jarmon, Baxter was the worst one in the room but seemed to really enjoy himself. We are going to start taking him to as many of the sessions as we can.

At about the same time that Jarmon was waking up for dog class with Baxter, I noticed that Arabella had rolled over into her tummy and was stirring quite a bit. She appeared to be preparing for launch. This is the second day she’s done this so I guess it’s a thing now. When I put her down to nap in the pack n play she did it a third time.

We had lunch at Parlor with Scott, Christine and Owen. I had coffee, the other adults had soda. When I first met Scott and Christine, the four of us went out on the boat every weekend. There were no soft drinks (or food, for that matter!) to be found. Oh how times have changed.

They brought an adorable baby gift for Arabella— a very soft stuffed bunny with long floppy ears and a set of blocks featuring prominent women in history. Arabella seemed to enjoy lunch— especially dancing on the table.

This afternoon we car shopped— or, more accurately, SUV shopped. My multiple AAA calls have made me finally admit that a new car is necessary. We did a few test drives and plan to do a few more next week. Arabella was largely unimpressed.

While we were car shopping, Sam and Caitlin texted to see if we wanted to get dinner. We went to our usual- Club Lucky– where I had a delicious salmon dish. Then we went back to the house for drinks. We are so lucky to have a baby who seems to enjoy our action packed days.

Looking at the photos above you might think I had a garage sale today– and if you did, you’d be wrong (though I probably could have). This pile of stuff was all in the trunk of my car. And this is just the stuff that didn’t immediately go into a garbage bag.

I cleaned out my trunk today while I was waiting for AAA to come for the third time in about two weeks. (For the sake of keeping this blog fun, I won’t comment further on my experience with AAA.) I figured that if I ended up not getting the car fixed, it would be easier to clean it out in my garage than in a repair shop parking lot. And let me tell you– I knew my trunk was cluttered, but I had no idea the time capsule I was cracking open.

Perhaps most entertaining were the 11 pairs of shoes. Among them: the Uggs I wore during college, a pair of black dress boots I purchased when moving to my first TV job in snow-covered Erie from Southern California, a pair of flip flips I purchased on a cruise after the ones I was wearing broke, a pair of tennis shoes with melted rubber toes from sitting too close to a campfire and a pair of snow boots so old that the rubber was literally melted into a new shape that would prohibit a foot from fitting inside. Oh– and let’s not forget the black dress shoes. They were SO cool when I bought them– in high school.

Also found? 5 umbrellas– two fold-ups, three full-size. Two of the three full-size umbrellas dated back to my first TV job. 7 snow scrapers. Including one that I’m pretty sure was in the car I drove in high school. 2 GPS units (do they even make these anymore??). A 2005 Atlas– purchased before one of our multiple cross-country road trips to and from USC (and also before those 2 GPS units). A coffee mug I’m pretty sure belonged to an ex-boyfriend. My tennis racquet from when I played in high school. An unopened bottle of Vitamin E that I apparently felt compelled to take for some unknown reason sometime long before 2012– because that’s when it EXPIRED. A poppy that I apparently received in exchange for a donation on a day when I was feeling extra charitable. And perhaps most cringe-worthy– the case from a pair of sunglasses I purchased almost exactly ten years ago. How do I know the date, you ask? I bought them on my last shopping trip before leaving Erie– and the sunglasses are still in my work bag today. Pretty much all of this stuff is now in the dumpster behind my house. Remnants of the last more than decade of my life– that for one reason or another I deemed valuable enough to stow in my trunk.

This trunk-cleaning is ironic given a conversation I had earlier this week at Wrigley Field, where I struck up a conversation with a security guard who was a proud and enthusiastic minimalist. He had been working at it for years and had recently made a breakthrough. I’ve always been perplexed by the concept of minimalism, so I asked a lot of questions. Bottom line– it makes him feel free. Not gonna lie, my clean (empty!!) trunk makes me feel pretty stinking good– but going through the stuff in it was a trip down memory lane. A reminder of where I’ve been– and where I am. Cringeworthy, but fun.

One last item I found was a birthday present I purchased for a good friend before moving to Chicago. It was wrapped with bow on top. And I had apparently put some thought into it because the card wasn’t the 99-cent variety I now routinely pick up at Target. The gift, however– a scarf and earrings from Francesca’s– was telling of the time in my life when it was purchased. (The earrings went out of style years ago). I guess I thought I would get to Chicago and mail it to her. Needless to say, that never happened. The contrast of the person who buys (and wraps!!) birthday presents for their friends and the person I am today is stark. I’m grateful for the reminder… and hopeful to be that person again someday.

My parents have been in town all week watching Arabella as we figure out this whole childcare thing. It’s really debatable who they do the most for— Jarmon, Arabella, Baxter or me. For example, a year or so ago I stopped doing Jarmon’s laundry as punishment for coming home late on a date a night. He HATES doing laundry. (And- in case you were wondering- hasn’t been late on date night since). When my mom is in town, she not only does his laundry but also puts it away… while she is making dinner. Jarmon is in heaven.

Arabella and Baxter are also in heaven— relishing the grandparent attention. My parents sent me a series of cute pictures at work of Arabella reading her Fluffy Chick book. She looks like she’s been casually reading books on the couch for years. I feel like she is showing signs of being a bookworm like her mama. Arabella was in bed when I got home tonight. I’m glad she’s getting back on schedule, but did miss her ornery smile waiting up for me.

My parent’s head back to PA tomorrow for the weekend (the socialites couldn’t miss their weekend plans). A few weeks ago my dad commented that he couldn’t believe they were coming to Chicago for three weeks in September. I responded that I couldn’t believe Jarmon and I were so excited about them coming for three weeks in september. I wasn’t kidding. We are very much looking forward to their return on Monday.

Today was another low key day. Arabella and Baxter are both getting thoroughly spoiled with DD and MJ in town.

We had lunch at Janik’s. A veggie omelet for me, a Rachel for DD and a steak sandwich for MJ. Arabella slept happily in her bassinet. It was a picture perfect fall day to eat lunch outside.

We had dinner at Smoke Daddy. When the weather is this beautiful, eating out (and outside) is essential. DD had a fish sandwich, MJ had pulled pork and Jarmon had ribs. I wasn’t really hungry after eating a full lunch, so I picked at some pulled pork nachos. (Yes, I recognize the flawed logic here).

Arabella wore a new outfit tonight purchased by MJ. She also wore fancy new silver shoes— with rainbows on the toes— purchased by MJ. My mother is extremely bothered by the fact that I don’t put shoes on my kid, but the reality is that a) she kicks them off faster than I can put them back on, b) her feet don’t even touch the ground. Her new shoes (as predicted) didn’t stay on for long, but at least she now owns a pair. (In her current size, that is— she has some very adorable shoes in larger sizes). Don’t worry- once the weather gets cold she will have more. I’ve been dreaming of matching mother-daughter Uggs for years 😊

When I got home from work tonight Arabella was once again wide awake. She is proving that she is just like her mama when it comes to sleep— disinterested if there is anything exciting going on (mom coming home from work.. DD and MJ in the house.. pretty much anything).

This morning Arabella got up early. She and Baxter were hanging with MJ by the time I emerged.

Arabella and I went to lunch at Yolk on Division with Natalie, Sailor and Katie. I dressed her in one of my favorite onesies, purchased by Mandy and Liz.

My story tonight was about chicagoans affected by the hurricane. Randomly, my trainer had just texted to see if I wanted to workout because her travel plans had changed. My reply? Yes! But can I interview you first?? So we interviewed Maggie and FaceTimed with her friend. (A bride whose wedding I had been hearing about for months). I thought it turned out well— I hope they liked it.

Jarmon and I both jumped out of bed this morning when Arabella let out a series of shrieks. Usually she will contently toss and turn a bit before we actually get her up, so the shrill noises caught us off guard. Because her bassinet is on Jarmon’s side of the bed (the only way it would fit in our room), he was the first to notice- “How did she get on her tummy?” (Another milestone- yay!) I was going to just pick her up and start the morning- but then thought better of it and rolled her back over into a sleeping position. She went on to sleep until 11a… and probably would have slept until noon if my parents’ arrival hadn’t created a buzz of excitement (ie- Baxter barking) in the house. She had fallen asleep in her Steelers onesie, so the sight of her still passed out (on the Monday after a game) as the clock approached noon was nothing short of hilarious. Like father like daughter!

My parents took the train in from PA and arrived late morning. They quickly occupied the attention of Baxter and Arabella, so I could get ready for my first night shift back at work. Leaving Arabella with Jarmon yesterday and my parents today wasn’t a big deal. I feel like it may be harder to leave when she is with a babysitter.

I covered a great story at Wrigley Field tonight where a boy with Downs Syndrome sang the national anthem. Stefan Xidas sang the anthem at a White Sox game a few years ago and it had been a his dream to sing at a Cubs game.

He was awesome. His performance was awesome. And his friends who made it happen were awesome. They also raised more than $18,000 for Special Olympics– a donation that was matched by the Cubs. Incredible.

It’s always a treat when a story allows for smiling— and this is especially true as I get back into the swing of things. Rob and Allison welcomed me back as “Arabella’s mommy” in my tag. So fun.

A ton of people at work asked the same question— how is Arabella sleeping? Despite the pediatrician’s advice to keep our mouths shut and enjoy the sleep we’ve been getting… I told people that she had been sleeping like a champ. Literally 12+ hours a night. So, it was fitting that she woke up screaming just minutes after I got home tonight— a time of night she hadn’t seen in weeks. I gave her some milk and we snuggled a bit. She was smiling and ready to play. So we did. And not going to lie- I loved every second of it.

My alarm (a foreign sound I’ve only heard a handful of times in the last 4+ months) went off bright and early this morning. I set it for just early enough to wash my face, brush my teeth, curl my hair, pump… and walk in the door at NBC Tower by 8am. I proceeded to spend some very necessary time in the makeup room– my face not going on as quickly as before following my makeup hiatus.

Not surprisingly, my parking pass had not yet been activated— and when I walked in, not only was someone at my desk (leaving me with no place to sit), but my dresses that I left on my desk were MIA. Welcome back to me! The rest of the day, however, went as well as could be expected given the grim subject matter. It was nice to see everyone and nice to get back into the swing of things.  I really am blessed with some awesome coworkers.

Surprisingly, there were no tears when I left for work– leaving my little munchkin for the first time. While I was sad to see my blissful summer with Arabella come to an end, I’m not one to get emotional. Plus, how could I be sad when I knew my daughter was going to have a monumental day?? You see, today was the first Steelers game of the season. My husband is NOT happy about my working Sundays because he has been watching the Steelers at Durkins for almost 20 years. Not one to break his streak, he was planning to do what any (ir)rational new father would— and take his daughter to Durkin’s. If I was an uptight mom I would have been furious. But honestly, the only thing I was furious about was the fact that I couldn’t be a fly on the wall to observe the inevitable hilarity that was about to ensue. Fittingly, this trip to Durkin’s was Jarmon’s first time taking Arabella out of the house on his own. Luckily he has a whole family of helpers there… check out these awesome pics 🖤💛

Arabella and Jarmon were both all smiles when I got home, so I guess neither of them was too traumatized. (Note to self: Need to start plotting how to make my daughter hate football 🤔)

Anyway- Like any new mom will tell you, after work snuggles are even better than regular snuggles. I got home just in time to steal some snuggles, feed Arabella and get her to bed.

I made Jarmon eat the leftover ravioli from Friday night for dinner (my first of hopefully many efforts to waste less food). I made a chopped salad for myself. If only I had stopped there. At the grocery store yesterday I somehow noticed mug cookies. I had heard of mug cookies before (recipes that tell you how to make a single serve cookie in a mug in the microwave), but I didn’t know there were mixes you could buy to make mug cookies on demand. Not only were there multiples brands, but the variety was seemingly endless. With my pregnancy sweet tooth still going strong, I caved and picked up a box of chocolate chip. A fresh, hot chocolate chip cookie in 1:10 flat? Yes, please! Drizzled with chocolate icing? Even better! The fact that said cookie mix sat on my counter for 24 hours before being tried took some pretty impressive willpower. I wish I could say it was worth the wait. It seriously tasted like it came from an Easy Bake Oven (and I would know, because my husband bought me an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas the year we met— another story for another day). The cookie itself was dry and tasteless. The chocolate frosting was less drizzle, more blob. The expectation versus reality gap was vast.

I wish I could say the unimpressive appearance stopped me from eating it! The reality is that even the worst chocolate chip cookie is still pretty darn good.