Life on the Farm

Still here, still preggo!

2012-01-30T10:24:00.004-05:00

I guess nesting has somewhat kicked in because I have been on a mission to try and do all the little projects I have been adding to the list I made when I found out I was pregnant back in June. The bedroom has been cleaned and bassinet is set up next to my bed, Abby's stenciling on the accent wall is 2/3 complete, AJ is totally moved over to the "big boy" room (although, we had to move the crib as well because a certain stubborn boy refuses to sleep in said "big boy" bed), I have finally set up the swing, pack and play and other various baby items, and best of all I have been ON TOP of the laundry and dishes - no piles looming in this house! The biggest news of all...THE PIANO IS GONE!!! I feel like I have regained some control over my family room, but I know it will be limited control because it will be a blink of an eye and then Abby's toys will be joining AJ's toys and I will lose my space once again. Ah, motherhood!

I think since the doctor told me 2 weeks ago I could go at anytime, I have been cursed and Abby will arrive on time or late. No big deal I suppose, leaves more time to finish up some other projects. Maybe I will even get the guest room *somewhat* organized for my parents. (Please don't expect too much, Mom and Dad, clean sheets and a clear path to the bed might be all I can accomplish in that room!) I go back to my doctor on Wednesday, at which point we will discuss a possible induction.

AJ has been a typical 2 1/2 year old - extremely funny and equally challenging. He has a great vocabulary and actually talks in complete sentences but he also has typical meltdowns and tantrums when he does not get his way. The last two baby molars are finally coming in on the bottom and they have interfered with nap time, just like all the other teeth that came in before. We are all about Toy Story 3, Cars 2 and Thomas the Train nowadays. It is fun to watch AJ act out the movies with his toys and see him grow and develop. I think he is going to be a great big brother and will try to help too much with Abby. Let's just say I won't be leaving them alone together in a room even while I run to pee!

That's about all for now - a picture post will follow in the next couple of days (assuming I am not in the hospital).

Exciting posts coming soon!

2011-12-28T11:48:00.002-05:00

Santa was VERY good to me this year and I got a fun new toy to make blogging that much easier! I am going to wait to do a full Christmas post until I have my new desktop set up and I can upload my pics. I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday!

64 days?!??!

2011-12-06T10:51:00.002-05:00

I strolled on over to the blog today only to be hit by two things:

1. I have not posted since November 9th!! Shame on me, slap on the hand. It seriously feels like I just updated a week ago - must have been in my dreams.

and....

2. Only 64 days until my due date - YIKES!!!

So much to do and apparently only 64 days - guess I need to get a move on it!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T14:01:00.002-05:00

October in Review

2011-11-01T08:55:00.012-04:00

I sucked it up and uploaded my pictures one at a time - super slow - but the only way it was going to happen. So here is October in pictures. Enjoy!

Oct. 9th - We went to Brandie and Steve's house for an Eagles party. While there, we celebrated Mom's (Grandma's) birthday. The kids got her a Kindle and cover and she was very excited.

Oct. 15th - AJ's first book signing. Laura Numeroff released a new book - If You Give a Dog a Donut - and was at a local Barnes and Noble for a book signing. AJ chatted her up big time and told her all about his dog "Sto-we." She, like everyone else, got a big kick out of my little talker and told me he was 2 going on 4. Boy don't we know it!

The following day, Oct. 16th, we took a family outing to Sesame Place with Art's family. AJ had
a blast, though I don't know who enjoys the rides more - AJ or Art, and we even got a nice family photo on the way out.

On Oct. 23rd, we went to OC to celebrate Daddy and Grandpa's birthdays. AJ loves to sing "Happy Birthday" and has even started singing it whenever he sees a lit candle. (He even sang to the jack-o-lanterns last night!)

Birthday celebrations were followed by trick-or-treating on the boardwalk. It was a beautiful day and we all had a lot of fun. AJ loves to visit with Grandma and Grandpa!

When I tried to get AJ to smile for the picture, he only wanted to turn around and show me his "chicken butt!"

Helping Grandpa push the wagon after a fun afternoon collecting candy.

Finally ready to sit and enjoy the treats!

We drove around last night so AJ could trick-or-treat at the houses of all of the local family. It was a long night, but he had a lot of fun and ended the evening with a pizza party with his cousins.

That pretty much sums up October, now on to November. We don't have much planned for the month as we really need to buckle down and get this house in order and ready for baby #2! I know we have 3 months, but I really want everything done before December so we can really relax and enjoy the holidays. Besides - decorating, shopping, celebrating, cleaning and finding space for all the new toys will be a job in itself!

Blogger Blues!

2011-10-20T10:09:00.001-04:00

I have been working on a post and blogger will not upload my pictures - GRRR!

Stay tuned, I will keep at it!

A weight has been lifted...

2011-10-07T11:47:00.005-04:00

As you may have noticed, I am back on FB; the love/hate relationship continues. This also means I have neglected the blog for a week - no bueno! Admitting our mistakes is half the battle, right??

Moving on - I am ready to talk. This pregnancy has been a roller coaster for us, but on Friday we finally got the words we needed to hear - the baby looks great and shows no signs of anything being wrong. To fill everyone in, my 12 week triple scan (an ultrasound and finger prick blood test at 12 weeks, followed by a full blood analysis at 16 weeks) came back with my baby having a 1 in 5 chance of Trisomy 18. For someone my age, those odds should be like 1/3,100. While it is easy to look at that number and say, okay we have an 80% chance of everything being okay - I, and the doctors, looked at that number as a 20% chance of something being wrong. Given our history and the loss of our first baby, I was especially scared,nervous, and doomsday. We has an ultrasound with a specialist at 16 weeks and I went in fully prepared to have the amnio done that day. However, the doctor did not see any markers for Trisomy 18 and suggested we wait to do another ultrasound and ECHO on the baby at 21 weeks when all the permanent organs are formed and the baby is larger. At that point, if there were any markers we would then do the amnio and move forward from that point. For those that do not know, Trisomy 18 is a fluke thing (nothing can cause it nor prevent it) with a very grim diagnosis. Here is a description from the Trisomy 18 Foundation:

Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, is a condition which is caused by a chromosomal defect. It occurs in about 1 out of every 3000 live births. The numbers increase significantly when early pregnancy losses are factored in that occur in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.

Unlike Down syndrome, which also is caused by a chromosomal defect, the developmental issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with medical complications that are more potentially life-threatening in the early months and years of life. 50% of babies who are carried to term will be stillborn, with baby boys having higher stillbirth rate than baby girls.

At birth, intensive care admissions in Neonatal units are most common for infants with Trisomy 18. Again, baby boys will experience higher mortality rates in this neonatal period than baby girls, although those with higher birth weights do better across all categories.

Some children will be able to be discharged from the hospital with home nursing support for their families. And although less than 10 percent survive to their first birthdays, some children with Trisomy 18 can enjoy many years of life with their families, reaching milestones and being involved with their community. A small number of adults (usually girls) with Trisomy 18 have and are living into their twenties and thirties, although with significant developmental delays that do not allow them to live independantly without assisted caregiving.

Last Friday we traveled over an hour to Cooper where the top doctor in diagnosing T18 through ultrasound performed the ECHO and anatomy scan. We were a nervous wreck and being on the same floor in the same hospital where I delivered, held and said goodbye to my first little girl made it that much more difficult. After about 90 minutes of scans, the doctor looked at me and told me that in 20 years he has never been wrong in diagnosing T18 through screening and that he was not going to let me break that streak! He told me has was 99% sure everything was perfect with our baby girl and that at this point an amnio would be more of a risk to me than beneficial. I had an appointment with my OB this afternoon and he agreed that we made the right decision to not have an amnio.

So now we can breath....and stress over getting AJ's big boy room and the new nursery completed. :-)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T13:56:00.001-04:00

Following the blogger trend and starting a wordless Wednesday. Enjoy!

Goodbye Facebook!

2011-09-27T10:49:00.003-04:00

I have deactivated my FB account to see if I actually blog more often. I found that once I became more active on FB, I stopped blogging - problem is, the FB posts did not have as much info as a blog post and I am having troubles filling the gaps in AJ's baby book. Shame on me! I am not ruling out FB permanently, just doing a little test separation. So if you want updates on us - this is the place to check!

AJ at 2 years

2011-09-24T16:31:00.004-04:00

It has been 2 months since AJ turned 2 and he has already grown so much. At his 2 year check up he weighed 30 pounds and measured 35 inches. That makes him 50% and 75%, respectively, for his age group. We are still waiting on the 2 year molars to come through, but that could be tomorrow or it could be months from now. He is such a social butterfly and knows how to work any crowd.

Now that AJ is 2, we took him for his first dentist visit yesterday. He was in such good spirits and loved the toys in the waiting room, until he clocked his head and got a huge goose egg. After that all he did was cry "back home to AJ's house!" Luckily, the dentist is only a couple miles from the house and Art was able to leave work and help comfort AJ. He was such a good boy and let the hygienist not only clean and polish his teeth, but also go back over them with a pumice gel to get off the iron stains from his vitamins. He was not as fond of the dentist - she was a little bit quicker and not as gentle and reassuring as the hygienist. We did not get the stains off his back teeth, but I was told they would not do any harm and we can get them next time. All in all, the only bad experience was the waiting room - we'll take it! (Note to self - AJ cut his first tooth at 7 months and 1 week. This was a question on the new patient paperwork and it took me FOREVER to find where I wrote that down. I reread all old blog posts thinking it had to be in there - wrong! - but now it is here.)

September night at the ballpark

2011-09-20T15:40:00.003-04:00

The Phillies may have lost the game, but AJ won big time! The Phillie Fanatic came right to our seats and visited with AJ. Art was thrilled and told AJ he is one lucky boy - Art has been going to Phillies games since he was 8 years old and this is the FIRST time he ever got to meet the Fanatic face to face at a game. It only took AJ 4 games!

And then it was September!

2011-09-18T22:38:00.002-04:00

So that thing about blogging at least once a week, hahaha. Shame on me! The problem was I was having issues designing my template and every time I logged into blogger I would try to fix it, only to aggravate myself and sign out before ever posting. I know, lame excuse, but true. Anyhow, I am now happy with the template and I am proud to announce I will resume blogging. It has become even more important because with baby number 2 on the way, I need somewhere to keep track of what is going on in our busy household. So, consider this a teaser. Enjoy the pictures in my new header and check back soon - I WILL be updating on a regular basis now!

XO-

Becky

10 Months Later...

2011-06-05T20:46:00.003-04:00

And we are still here! I cannot believe I have not written since September and I am so mad at myself about the events lost. As I look back on the blog and all the posted memories and updates, I am sad that there is a huge gap! Note to self - blog at LEAST once a week! No ifs, ands, or buts about it! I will have to put together a 10 month catch up, but for now here are some recent pics of my almost 2 year old. FYI - he is one smart cookie - rather than just singing the alphabet, he will actually point to letters on signs, packaging, books and what-not-else and tell us what each letter is. He is very good and has impressed quite a few spectators.

Having fun dying Easter eggs:

These two are best friends! AJ loves to feed Stoli through the gate:

AJ's first "ink". He liked it so much, he offered his other arm when the 1st was done!

Feeling like Fall

2010-09-13T09:55:00.002-04:00

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love that the air is crisper, the mornings are cooler and the leaves are turning. AJ and I enjoyed a beautiful day outside with some bike riding through the farm, quad riding and slide fun.

Still here!

2010-08-24T15:31:00.004-04:00

Man, I sure did check out for quite some time! Sorry about that. I will play catch up in photos, much more fun than reading a boring post anyway.

AJ 11 Months

1st Birthday, July 10, 2010 - we had a pig roast and lots of fun!

Ocean City Pamper Scamper August 10, 2010 - AJ said, "NO! NO! NO!" and cried, needless to say he did not place.

Tuckered out from all that crying

We spent the rest of the day at the beach, AJ had his own "Beach Club" with a private umbrella and pool filled with ocean water, oh to be 1 again.

Not so sure about the actual ocean

Thanks for checking in on us, I will *try* to be more diligent in my posting.

Hey Mom, Look What I Can Do!!

2010-06-10T14:32:00.003-04:00

That's right, I have a little climber on my hands. Climbing on his toys is only the beginning, he is already trying to climb up onto the furniture. YIKES!

Videos of AJ

2010-05-22T22:55:00.004-04:00

Here is a video of AJ at 10 month old. He loves to say "tickle, tickle," clap his hands, bang on his drum (an old popcorn tin), dance, shake, and crawl all over!

This next video is AJ and Stoli playing together.

My oh my, it's May!

2010-05-17T13:08:00.005-04:00

Seriously?!? Where is the time going?? AJ is now 10 months old, and we are already planning his 1st birthday party. I cannot believe my little man will be 1 year old in 2 months. Crazy!! AJ is now officially a crawler, woo-hoo! He is totally done with the army crawl and all hands and knees now; boy can he move! He is also pulling up on things now, but he will not walk along them, so I think he will be crawling for awhile longer. The house has been taken over by barricades, anything and everything is used to contain AJ - laundry baskets, ottomans, gates, playpens, you name it, we are probably using it. I think we need to take some measurements and buy actual gates that fit, LOL.

I had a wonderful 1st Mother's Day! AJ, Stoli and Art all took great care of me and AJ gave me a beautiful locket on a necklace with 2 little pictures of him. It is super cute and I will treasure it forever!

And are you all ready for the biggest news???......AJ is sleeping through the night! WOO-HOO!! (Bet you thought I was going to say I'm pregnant, LOL. Not happening anytime soon, and that's a PROMISE!!) About 2 weeks ago, AJ was waking up every 2 hours in the night and would only go back to sleep after he nursed. He was also tugging at his ear frequently, so we took him to the doctor to make sure he had a clean bill of health. All looked great, no medical problems, so cry it out was implemented that night. He went to bed at 9:30 pm, woke up at 1:45 am and cried for 1 hour non-stop! He then went to sleep, woke up at 5:45 and cried for about 15 minutes. At 8:15 he woke up happy ready to start the day. The next night, he went to bed at 8:15 pm, woke up at 5:45 am, fussed for about 5 minutes, then went back to sleep and woke up at 7:30 happy and ready to get up. Ever since, he has been sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours a night without waking up!! Other than a couple rough nights (his 2 top middle teeth are cutting) bedtime has been smooth sailing. FINALLY!!

We took my mom and dad to a Phillies game for their anniversary, AJ had fun tailgating!

Nothing like sweet potato puffs and a cold beer!

Peek-a-boo!

Cheeeese!

Hanging out and watching TV in Dad's Phillies beanbag

Spring has Sprung

2010-04-09T15:57:00.003-04:00

Goodbye snow, hello green grass and blooming flowers!

Excited to be dying Easter eggs!

Look what the Easter bunny brought AJ!!

Enjoying a treat from his Easter basket

AJ and Stoli enjoying the beautiful Easter day

"First" Pictures

2010-03-08T13:51:00.004-05:00

First snow, December 2009:

First cereal, January 2010:

First haircut, March 2010:

First time Grandma and Grandpa are with all the grandkids, March 2010:

Catch up in pictures

2010-01-03T12:21:00.014-05:00

Hard to believe it has been almost 2 months since my last post. Where has the time gone?? AJ has been sitting on his own since New Year's and he is trying so hard to crawl. He is a great eater and loves everything we give him - cereal, fruits and veggies. We have not found a food that AJ doesn't like. Here is a quick catch up in pictures starting with Christmas.

Christmas Eve at Great Grandma's and Great Granddad's house at the beach.

AJ with Great Grandma

AJ with Great Granddad

AJ and cousin Lauren, hard to believe they are only 4 days apart, he towers over her!

Cousins

"This train is way cooler than being in a picture with my sisters!"

You know it is a good Christmas Eve when you have a little too much Russian vodka and pass out on Dad. (This drinking habit must have been picked up from cousin Bobby)

Flashback to April 2008, here is a picture of cousin Bobby when he developed his taste for beer in the Cayman Islands. I believe he is giving M*iller the finger because he prefers B*udweiser.

Christmas morning. My mom always took our picture sitting at the top of the stairs before we went down, so now I am doing that with AJ and Stoli.

Our tree, after Santa visited, before the boys tore in

Stoli found and opened all of his presents, teaching AJ how it is done.

AJ got the hang of opening presents real quick!

Very happy with all the cool presents from Santa

AJ, 6 months old, 17 pounds 12 ounces and 27 1/2 inches. He is now able to sit on his own and hold the paper for Mommy.

7 months old, watching his first winter Olympics in his cool moose slippers from Grandma Bev.

Family Portraits

2009-12-15T21:32:00.003-05:00

We finally got a tripod and decided to test it out and take our first family portrait. I used the remote for my camera so we could just sit and click away, fingers crossed for at least one decent shot. Stoli and AJ always seemed to be looking in the same direction:
First, it was look left...

next it was look right...

then came, let's look at each other...

and finally, the winning picture!

Christmas cards were much more fun, but I will save that post for later!

2009-12-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T13:28:00.004-05:00

Although November has not been the best of months for us, there is so much to be thankful for, especially this little man...

AJ did not get to eat any Thanksgiving dinner, but he had a very nice 1st Thanksgiving and looks forward to next year when he can actually try a few things. Unfortunately, he is now sick with his first cold. My poor little baby is so congested and there is not much we can do for him. Being first time parents, we called the pediatrician and she told us to put a cool mist humidifier in his room and use saline nose drops (both of which we were already doing). But she also told us what to look out for and when to call again, and that he could sleep in his swing to help keep him upright for the congestion. He slept much better in his swing than he did the previous night in his crib. So, hopefully this cold will not last too long and I can have my happy baby again. Moving on with good news, Stoli has a great follow up appointment and has been enjoying his kitchen and even some play time. He is doing so much better and we are glad he has recovered.

4 Months Old!

2009-11-23T11:28:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe how big my little man is getting! At 4 months old he is 16 1/2 pounds and 26 1/4" inches long. He is growing out of his 3-6 month clothes and has started to giggle and try to roll over. AJ can get all the way up on his side and he almost goes over, but then rolls back down. I think AJ knew I would be blogging today, because he gave me something to write about...he slept 7 hours last night, woke up to eat, and then went back to bed for another 2 1/2 hours!! WOO-HOO! Now, hopefully this was not a one shot deal, because I could certainly get used to that sleep schedule! My other son, Stoli, is recovering well. He is not happy he has to be caged up and is not allowed to run or play, but he goes for his surgery follow-up appointment on Wednesday, so hopefully then he can at least have the kitchen back.

Joey and Jen came for a visit. AJ and Joey enjoyed some cousin time together.

Art got me and AJ a new car. A 2010 Ford Expedition, Eddie Bauer. It is the first time Art has ever bought a brand new car and we just picked it up last Monday. We LOVE it and have had fun playing with all the gadgets. It has a navigation system that is voice activated, Microsoft Sync, DVD player for AJ, and the navigation screen turns into the backup camera when I am in reverse.

Unfortunately, my poor new car now has a big boo-boo. On our way home from a 30th birthday party on Saturday night, I hit a deer going 65 mph on I-195. :-( Luckily we were all okay (AJ was with us) and the airbags did not go off, but my poor new car was not even drivable. We had to be towed home, and then today Ford came and picked it up to take to the collision center for repairs. Good thing for insurance!

Playing Catch-up!

2009-11-16T10:00:00.003-05:00

So much to write about so little time. I guess I will start with Halloween, AJ was a monkey and Stoli was the banana. We did not get any pictures on Halloween, because it was 75 degrees outside and AJ was not very comfortable in his heavy costume. But here are a couple I took on a happy morning. AJ wore his skeleton outfit all day and I think he enjoyed looking like the snoopy skeleton his Great Grandma and Great Granddad sent him.

This past week, we have all been worrying about our Stoli dog. On Tuesday morning he was throwing up, nothing too out of normal, but then by lunchtime he was vomiting bright red blood and had bloody diarrhea. I called his vet and she said get him to the ER right away. Luckily, there is a new animal hospital only 15 minutes away from us, so we went there instead of Red Bank. He was admitted right away and given the initial diagnosis of severe pancreatitis. They did not how if he would pull through and we were very scared. The next day he had 2 plasma transfusions and more tests. In addition to his pancreatitis and gastroenteritis, they thought he may have intestinal blockage. They kept monitoring him by ultrasound and x-ray. By Thursday, he had stopped having stools, and the tests were more supportive of blockage. We went and met with the surgeon and he told us there is a 25% chance there is no blockage, but they needed to go in to see and if there is not blockage to biopsy his organs. Well, there was no blockage. They biopsied 5 organs and we are hoping they all come back normal and it would have just been a severe case of pancreatitis and gastroenteritis. Stoli came home Saturday and is resting at home. He is not allowed to run, play, or jump for 2 weeks! Poor poochie!

AJ had his 4 month pediatrician appointment of Thursday, he did well and I will write about that when I upload his 4 month pictures.

3 Months and AJ's Moving out!

2009-10-27T14:06:00.005-04:00

I am a little behind in the 3 month post, but here it is: on October 10, 2009 AJ weighed in at 15 pounds 2 1/2 ounces and measured 25 1/2 inches. My boy is growing! He is all smiles now and loves to babble and make noises. On the eve of his 3 month birthday, AJ moved into his bedroom and spent his first night in his crib. I was not ready to make the move, but his bassinet has a 15 pound weight limit and we were forced to the crib. He did not go alone though, I inflated the air-mattress and slept in AJ's room for his first two nights. He is doing well, and while I miss just grabbing him and feeding him in my bed in the middle of the night, we are adjusting to feeding in the rocking chair. Since I never posted pictures of his nursery, I added some to this post. Enjoy!

What's that you said AJ?

2009-10-13T14:25:00.002-04:00

I am a little behind on AJ's 3 month post, but after I upload the pictures I will be right on it. Until then, here is a little video I took of AJ last night while we were watching the Phillies beat the Rockies. Enjoy!

Go Phillies!

2009-10-08T16:33:00.004-04:00

AJ went to his first Phillies game last Saturday and even though his dad was very nervous, we all did just fine. I fed him in the car before we went into the game and then around the 5th inning he was hungry, so we went to the family bathroom and I fed him in there. He was very happy and had fun chatting with his Grandma during the game. Around the 8th inning he started to get tired and fuss, so I decided to stand for the last inning and AJ went right to sleep

Mmmmm...Phillies game and cold Bud!

We gave Grandma and Grandpa tickets for their birthdays

Goooooo Phillies!

.

J! E! T! S!

2009-09-27T16:17:00.005-04:00

JETS! JETS! JETS! With a 3-0 start, Sundays have been good in our house.

AJ really enjoyed the game but throwing the flag really wore him out and he slept through the win. We will be sure to let him catch the highlights on E S P N.

AJ wasn't the only one enjoying a lazy Sunday; Stoli took his Dad's chair, fluffed the pillow, and snoozed away.

2 Months Old!

2009-09-16T16:08:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe my little man is 2 months old! He went for his 2 month check-up at the pediatrician on Monday the 14th and weighed in at 12 pounds, 12.5 ounces with a length of 24 inches. He has grown so much! The 12 pounds 8.5 ounces in the picture was his weight on the actual 2 month date of September 10th. He has grown a little more than the average 1/2 pound a week, and he is 75th percentile for weight and 90th for length. AJ loves to smile (just not for the camera) and he babbles to us all the time. Mornings are still his favorite time of day, and the little bugger has learned to bust out of his swaddle at night, so he has moved on to blanket sleep sacks. I think he enjoys having his arms free at night so he can put them over his head, but now that he is not swaddled he is waking up more often from his startle reflex. I am going to give it a few nights to see if he gets used to it and adjusts, if not then I am going to buy some bigger swaddle blankets and go back to wrapping him at night. He was sleeping for a 5 hour block, waking to eat, then sleeping for 2-3 more hours. Now he is up every 1.5-3 hours. Not fun! Poor little AJ had to get his 2 month vaccinations at this last appointment. He did really well and calmed right down when I picked him up to comfort him after the shots. There were 2 needles, one in each leg, and an oral rotovirus. He loved the oral and sucked it right down, unfortunately his poor little legs did not like the needles. He has bruises and lumps at each injection site and it makes us so sad to see. AJ has been a little fussy the last 2 days, but nothing unbearable. Luckily, no more needles or doctor's appointments for 2 more months. I think it will give us all a little time to heal from the trauma. Here are some pictures taken on his 2 month birthday, enjoy!

All Smiles!

2009-09-08T09:31:00.008-04:00

Was my last post really almost a month ago?!? Where has the time gone? So much has happened in the past month, AJ is growing big and strong and he is all smiles and baby coos now. Morning is his favorite time of day. He wakes up and babbles to himself in the bassinet, then when I go to get him out of bed and change him, he gives me the biggest good morning smile. AJ took his first trip to Ocean City over Labor Day weekend, where he met more of the family. We had a great time and even went for a nice stroll on the boardwalk, AJ really seemed to enjoy it. As nice as it is to be away, I think he was glad to be home in his own bed again. At the beach he was waking up after 2 hours of sleep and on our first night home he was back into his 5 hour sleep. A big relief for Mommy and Daddy! AJ goes to the pediatrician for his 2 month check-up in a couple days and the poor thing doesn't know what's coming! He will get his first big round of shots and I am trying to prepare myself for the tears, both mine and his. He has already gotten 2 Hep B shots, but they were small and do not cause a lingering pain or fever. The shots he gets this week will make his little leg sore and may cause a fever, so we will be sure to have some children's tylenol on hand before he goes to the doctor.

First stroll on the boardwalk

With Grandma and Grandpa

Art fed AJ boobie in a bottle so I could get my hair done :)

Sleeping in the big boy crib at Grandma's house

1 Month Old!

2009-08-10T13:07:00.005-04:00

AJ is one month old today, man does time fly! He has gotten so big in the past month. He was down to 6 pounds 14 ounces a couple days after birth, and now my little man is up to 9 pounds 8 1/2 ounces! He is doing really well and getting cuter by the day. I don't want to jinx myself, but the past few nights, AJ has even been letting us get some sleep. He will usually sleep for about 4 hours, wake up and eat, then go back to bed for another 2-3 hours. So Art and I have been getting about 6-7 hours of (broken) sleep. Can't complain about that and I hope it keeps up! AJ has moved up in diapers, he went from newborn to size 1. He is also able to fit into his 0-3 month clothes now (although they are quite baggy on his skinny little body). Here are some pictures taken this morning.

Happy Birthday, Stoli!

2009-08-10T12:54:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Stoli's 5th birthday. It is so hard to believe we have had the little furball for almost 5 years now (we got him as a puppy in October 2004). Since Sunday's forecast was not favorable for swimming, we took Stoli to his Grandma Bev's house to swim and celebrate on Saturday. She even cooked him a lobster dinner. (Well, okay technically the lobster dinner was for us, but we did give Stoli a couple bites and he really enjoyed it!) On Stoli's actual birthday he was given lots of play time, attention, and presents. Happy 5th Birthday, Stoli!

Growing boy!

2009-07-30T14:26:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe AJ will be 3 weeks old tomorrow! He is doing really well and is right on track with his weight gain. Now that he has reached his birth weight again, he should be gaining about 1/2 pound a week. And being the nervous new mom that I am, I bought a baby scale so I can weigh him each week between doctor visits. Last Friday, at the pediatrician, he weighed 8 pounds 1/2 ounce. As of this morning, AJ is up to 8 pounds 8 1/2 ounces. He is a really good eater and his weight gain is showing it!

Hanging out in the party chair!

It's tough work being a newborn!

We made it through the first week!

2009-07-20T09:47:00.004-04:00

It is so hard to believe AJ will be 2 weeks old on Friday. We have all been doing well at home and we are starting to get into the swing of things. Art went back to work today so now it is just me and AJ hanging out at home.

Arthur William ****, Jr.

July 10, 2009

4:10pm

7lb 14 oz

20"

The eviction notice has been given!

2009-07-08T23:05:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned earlier today, I had my 39 week appointment today and basically the doctor has given AJ his eviction notice. I have made no progress in the past 2 weeks and based on AJ's activity levels, he is quite content in the womb. The doctor told me the chances of me going into labor in the next week are slim, and based on AJ's size, he would like to do an induction this week so we can maybe avoid a c-section next week. The doctor called L&D and I am scheduled to check in at the hospital tomorrow night at 5pm. They will admit me and put a gel on my cervix to soften it, then on Friday morning they will start the pitocin. So it looks like AJ will be arriving sometime this weekend. The doctor me told so long as neither the baby nor I develop any problems, they will try the pitocin for anywhere from 48-72 hours. If it is not successful, then we will start talking about a c-section. So today was officially my last day of work and tomorrow I will be finishing up the laundry and housework I wanted done before AJ's arrival.

Wish us luck and I'll keep you posted!

Who gave him a baseball?!?

2009-07-08T10:00:00.002-04:00

I swear AJ has a baseball or something to play with in my belly. Last night I was in bed watching TV and AJ was being quite active. All of a sudden this huge lump the size of a baseball is sticking out near my belly button and rolls to my side. I asked Art if he saw it, and he thought (from what he saw out of the corner of his eye) I had my hand in a fist resting on my belly and that I moved it. NOPE! That was AJ!! We then stopped watching TV and proceeded to watch my belly for about 10 minutes. The kid was moving! The lump was his foot, and you could feel his heel as it was protruding out of my belly. Although painful, it was quite amusing. All Art kept saying is, "I think he wants to come out and play, Beck." Well, I don't think he is too eager to come out and play. If he was, he would get the ball rolling and hook me up with some contractions instead of happily playing inside and showing me how far he can stretch my stomach! So the wait continues. (However, at my 39 week appt this afternoon, I will be asking my doctor about the eviction process and how long they will let me go before they induce me.)

We have a baby!

2009-07-06T10:41:00.002-04:00

But, it's not mine! Brandie had her baby this morning; however, since I only heard the news from my mom, I will not post anything more until I talk to the proud parents. But, I will share that both baby and Brandie are doing well.

AJ on the other hand is not ready to come out yet. I did a lot of walking and bending and going up and down the stairs this weekend, but it all led to nothing! I think on Tuesday I will start drinking the red raspberry leaf tea and have some eggplant parm for dinner. Maybe that, plus more walking and cleaning, will get this little guy out!

Still here!

2009-07-01T14:21:00.002-04:00

Looks like AJ wants me to clean the house. There is no progress from last Wednesday, same 1 cm and 50%. As I mentioned in the last post, I am okay with this as I have a lot to do around the house. Also, we have some zucchini ready in the garden and I would like to make some zucchini bread and muffins to freeze before the little guy starts taking up all my time. Tonight is our last night with plans, we are going to dinner with one of my close girlfriends from Miami. It will be nice to have a relaxing dinner before all of our nights are spent cleaning house and preparing for what's to come. I will keep working as long as I feel up to it, no need to stop the paycheck when work is only 1 mile from home and if I ever feel tired I can go home and nap. My next doctor's appointment is one week from today, so hopefully two things will happen: 1. I will get all the housework done in that week and 2. AJ will start making progress on Tuesday night, because my doctor is on call at the hospital on Wednesday the 8th, so that would be the ideal day to go into labor and have a baby!

The waiting game!

2009-06-30T11:24:00.002-04:00

Well, we are officially in the waiting game now. As of last Wednesday I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. My doctor told me I could go into labor that night, or I could go in 2 weeks. So while I am making progress, it means nothing. Now we are wondering, do we have 1 Sunday or 2 Sundays remaining?? Our schedule has been so crazy trying to get everything in before AJ comes, that we have not had a single free night to stay home and get housework done. So once again, the housework has piled up and I am feeling slightly overwhelmed. I think I will be an anxious mess if I have to go to the hospital with a messy house. Art doesn't get it, but it is the same way I have to clean my house before I go on vacation. I hate leaving and coming home to a messy house! On the bright side, we have no plans for this weekend and plan on keeping it that way. On the downside, with 4th of July being a Saturday, I do not get an extra holiday at work or an extended weekend. BOO! Anyhow, we should be able to get the house clean and ready for AJ. I am hoping he makes his appearance on the 8th because that is when my doctor is on call at the hospital. But then again, I really want to see the movie Bruno, so I would not mind if he waits until after the 10th. Selfish, I know, but hey it may be the last chance I have to be selfish! I go back to the doctor tomorrow for another exam, so we will see if there is more progress and maybe this time get a better indication of how much time we have left. As for tonight's agenda, we will be installing the car seat bases in each of our cars and driving to the fire station for inspection. (The last Tuesday of every month is car seat check at the fire house, so I guess this is our last chance!) Oh, and the blinds for the house are in and will be installed on Thursday. Maybe after this weekend I will finally update the kitchen pictures since it will officially be 100% done! (But don't hold your breath)

Stoli the Diving Dog

2009-06-23T21:00:00.006-04:00

After work today we took Stoli swimming. He was being a little bit of a show-off with his amazing diving dog demonstrations!

Any day!

2009-06-18T15:21:00.003-04:00

I had a doctor's appointment today, and according to my doctor AJ can come any day he chooses and no one will stop him! The doctor explained to me how 37 weeks is now considered full term (as opposed to the old 38 weeks) but that because AJ is big and I have had no problems, if I went into labor tonight, they would deliver him and he would be fine. Scary! I told AJ not to listen to the doctor and he is to wait at least 2 or 3 more weeks. That should give me enough time to finish doing everything on my list. The doctor also made a point of telling me he was reviewing my last ultrasound reports again, and that I do indeed have a big baby growing in me. He does not expect a 10 pounder, but he would not be surprised at 9lbs. However, if I do go 2 weeks early, AJ may only be about 8lbs. When I was confirming my appointment for next week and making my appointment for the week after, the receptionist informed me my regular doctor will not be in the office that week (6/28-7/4). I am not sure if it is because he is on vacation, or he will be on call in L&D. I am going to ask next week, because if he is on call in L&D and I will be 38 weeks on 7/2, I am going to see if he will let me schedule an induction so he can deliver my baby (and we can maybe avoid the 9lb issue). So much is happening so quickly, hard to believe the end, or should I say a new beginning, is near!!

2009-06-16T16:48:00.001-04:00

"In our daily lives problems are bound to arise. The biggest problems in our lives are the ones that we inevitably have to face, like old age, illness, and death. Trying to avoid our problems or simply not thinking about them may provide temporary relief, but I think that there is a better approach. If you directly confront your suffering, you will be in a better position to appreciate the depth and nature of the problem. If you are in a battle, as long as you remain ignorant of the status and combat capability of your enemy, you will be totally unprepared and paralyzed by fear. However, if you know the fighting capability of your opponents, what sort of weapons they have and so on, then you’re in a much better position when you engage in war. In the same way, if you confront your problems rather than avoid them, you will be in a better position to deal with them."
-Dalai Lama

5 Sundays!!

2009-06-09T16:28:00.002-04:00

As if 37 days didn't make it seem close enough, 5 Sundays makes it seem like tomorrow! After my next doctor's appointment on the 18th, I will be seen every week. All the little things happening just confirm AJ will be here before we know it. As anxious as I am to meet him, I am hoping he does not come too early because we still have a bunch to do and AJ, of course, still has a bunch of growing (the brain grows so much in the last couple weeks of pregnancy). I wouldn't mind if he holds out til his due date, and being my first, there is a good chance he will. At my last doctor's appointment, we were offered another ultrasound to check AJ's size at 36 weeks. This would give a more accurate size estimate at full term and, in my opinion, lead to nothing good. The doctor said it could lead to scheduling an early induction, or having his size on my charts could lead whatever doctor is on call when I do go into labor to force me to have a c-section. Some doctors do not like to try laboring with a large baby because it can take more time (and I suppose energy on their part...poor doctor), so my doctor recommended no ultrasound and we agreed. I have nothing against c-sections, I just know the recovery is more difficult and if I can avoid it, I will! So AJ's true size will be a surprise, and who knows maybe he is not going to be as big as they say. :)

Art and I have been busy in the evenings trying to wash everything we got at the shower so we can put it away. It has been fun sorting through it all and organizing. Last night, Art took a break and decided to put a teddy bear in AJ's stroller and take it for a walk around the upstairs. He simultaneously modeled his "man-diaper bag" showing me all the features and how it attaches to the stroller. It was funny to watch and I wish I had the Flip camera on me to record it. Maybe there will be a next time. We still have a lot to do (in addition to the laundry, we have to put together the bassinet, swing, car seat, pack n' play, party chair and put more stuff away) but luckily Art has had the last 2 Saturdays off and it doesn't look like he will be working the next few. But on the flip side, we are registered for 2 classes that will be all day Saturdays on the 20th and the 27th. Easy come, easy go!

On a different note, the blinds for the house are ordered and should arrive to our house in 2 weeks, at which point the guy will call us to set up a day for installation. He told us he would squeeze us into his schedule as soon as he can, but I guess I will have to keep my legs crossed until the blinds are in and installed!

That's about it for now, I will post some new pictures when we have a little more work done.

My Baby Shower

2009-06-02T09:18:00.008-04:00

My Mom threw me a wonderful baby shower this past Sunday, I had such a good time and got so many beautiful gifts. She hosted the shower at a little restaurant down the road from my house and the food was awesome! Brandie and Jen did a great job with the favors and the labels for the wine. (Everyone brought a bottle of wine to build a little collection for me and Art for after AJ arrives - something to take the edge off the late nights.) The chocolate turtle pops that Brandie ordered were adorable. My MIL, Bev, did the decorating; since she only lives 1 mile away she was able to go in the night before and set everything up. WOW, what a job she did! It was all underwater and turtles and looked so cute. Katie's invitations matched my bedding, they had the same turtles and colors and then she took one to the cake place and had my turtles put on the cake. I could go on and on about everything, it was such a great day, but I will end this with some pictures.

Bev, me, Mom

Jen, me, Brandie, Mom

My BFFForever, Katie, and me

Who's bigger?? We are due 7/16 and 7/12, but I think Brandie will go 2-3 weeks before me.

The diaper cake Bev, Poppy, and Art made me.

One view of the room, the table was an L so you can only see some people (there were 30 guests). Notice the cute fisherman's netting on the walls and tables holding underwater baby stuff.

The wine table with some overflow of the gifts.

The dessert table- the brownies were cut out in turtle, fish, and starfish shapes and the cookies were baby bottles, turtles, and ducks.

Bev made her own edible arrangement and cut the watermelon and pineapple in dolphin, turtle, and fish shapes. I loved it!

The yummy cake that Katie brought - it was bottom layer chocolate, top layer vanilla and it had chocolate pudding in the middle. Everyone raved about it!

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me, and to those who could not make it, you were missed!

Just think, 6 weeks and 2 days (at most) until the little (big) guy arrives!

Progress and Set Backs

2009-05-26T11:07:00.004-04:00

I guess I will give the good news and progress first, both Art and I ended up with a 3 day weekend! WOO-HOO! That basically never happens, but some of the mowers are down on the farm and since the mechanic took off for the holiday weekend, there was not enough equipment to mow, and long story short Art didn't have to work. That doesn't mean I didn't put him to work at home. :) We got so much done - we organized the storage room and then moved about 16 rubbermaid containers of stuff in there, emptying out the closet in the nursery in the process. Then all the small piles of stuff placed around the house were found homes, instead of temporary resting places. We did more work outside, finished all the laundry, organized the bedroom and bathrooms, and even started the dusting and vacuuming. It was a lot of work, and I could barely move each morning from being sore, but I am so glad the organization is about done. There are still small projects here and there, but those do not have to be done before the baby arrives. The only thing left to do before the baby is clean all the wood work, walls, baseboard heaters, and windows. And let me tell you, in an old house that is not a small task! We will split it up by room and do the smaller rooms on weeknights and the larger rooms on Sundays. We took a break one day to run some errands and head to Lowes for the blinds. Well, turns out Home Depot had a better sale so we decided to go with them for the blinds. The guy is supposed to call today to set up an appointment to come and measure the windows in the house (we are having them install them). We also decided to bite the bullet and do the whole house. Good bye tax refund, it was nice knowin' ya! All in all, I am VERY happy with what we accomplished this weekend.

Now the set backs...we went to breakfast yesterday morning (the special was PECAN PANCAKES, I got them with fresh banana on top and thought I was eating at Uncle Bill's in OC, it was FANTASTIC!) so neither one of us was hungry for lunch and when we went into the fridge in the evening, Art noticed his milk was not that cold. The thermostat was set at 37, but the thermometer I put in there was reading 50. The freezer is set at 0, but is reading about 15. So, we have no clue when it happened since neither of us were in the fridge since the night before. I turned down the temp and let it sit overnight, this morning...still 50! So all of our food is spoiled. :( We just got the fridge in August 2006, it is not even 3 years old and it wasn't cheap! Luckily, since we did get a higher-end fridge, we also got the service plan. So, Sears will be out to my house on Thursday to look at it. In the meantime, we have to leave our food in it and let it continue to spoil so the repair man can vouch for the food in there. Sears said they only refund you up to $250 for food, but I had a lot of meat from Sam's in there and I still have the receipts for everything, so I will be fighting.

Life is never boring around here!

Waste of Time!

2009-05-21T09:05:00.001-04:00

Well our trip to Blinds To Go was a bust! We got there and talked to the salesman about the cordless cellular shades. We were thinking of going with the blackout ones for the nursery, but I do not want the baby to only be able to sleep if it is super dark, so we instead opted for the double cellular shades. The man took our measurements we brought and came back with a price...it was HIGH! It actually didn't sound right to me, because I had priced Levolor blinds at Lowe's and it seemed to be about the same. Luckily, there was a Lowe's 2 miles down the road, so we took a ride over there to get an exact price. Wouldn't you know it brand name Levolor is actually going to be cheaper than no-name Blinds To Go?! The blinds are actually within a couple dollars of each other at the 2 places, but Lowe's is having a sale this month for 15% off all custom order blinds. I'm sorry, but how can a place advertise that they are the cheapest because they manufacture them and don't put a brand on them, then end up being more expensive?? Also, we decided to save Art the aggravation of installation. Lowe's will come out and measure every window in our house for $35, then they will install all the blinds we buy for another $83. The real reason we will have them do this is because they guarantee their measurements, and if we are laying out that much for the blinds I want to be sure they fit. (We measured a window to replace a vinyl blind, and when we got home it did not fit. I swear the lady cut it wrong because both Art and I measured. Luckily it was only a $15 shade, so we did not lose that much money over it, but with that experience fresh in our minds, let them take responsibility!)

So anyway, we will be heading to Lowe's to schedule the guys to measure and order our shades. We decided to go ahead and do 4 more windows, so we will have 7 done in all this time around.

Single Digits!

2009-05-20T10:17:00.002-04:00

We are down to 8 Sundays! BUT...in all honesty it may really be just 6. YIKES! I say 6 because my baby shower is on a Sunday, so there will be no work done on that day, and I am eliminating Sunday, July 12th because the doc seems to think I may need to go early. If, by chance, I have not had AJ but the 12th, I would imagine I will be in no condition to be doing housework. As mentioned in the last post, I am supposedly growing a monster baby. The doctor had the full results of my ultrasound at my appointment this past Monday, and after all measurements are averaged, AJ is in the 80th percentile for size. The doc said that while we are not looking at anything abnormal, he is large so we will monitor his size and there is a chance that I could be induced early. This will make for an interesting baby pool!

I hope to have the nursery done by the end of the first week in June. The only things we have so far are the furniture, bedding, stroller, and diaper bag. There is still a TON of stuff we need, but we are waiting until after the shower to buy anything. Tonight we are going to Blinds To Go to buy new blinds for the nursery. We currently have those flat, vinyl shades throughout the house, and we would like to replace them with a cordless Levolor type shade, we decided to do a couple rooms at a time and break it up so we don't have that huge expense all at once.

I'll end with a picture of Stoli - the warm weather is right around the corner and he is getting very anxious to go swimming!

Keeping 1/2 the promise!

2009-05-12T14:28:00.006-04:00

Well, I did not deliver on the kitchen pictures, but they will be up by the end of the week. I am, however, giving the promised pictures of AJ. The ultrasound today went very well, everything looks great. My boy is HUGE! He is weighing in at 4 pounds 5 ounces, and if he continues to grow at the expected rate of 1/2 pound per week, we are looking at a 9 pound baby...OUCH! His feet are already measuring at 2 1/2 inches long, we were told to kiss newborn booties goodbye because big foot will not be fitting into them. He also has big hands with long fingers. AJ is head down and he was not interested in showing us his face, he kept it buried or covered with his hands pretty much the whole time.

Here he is hiding his face, you can see his big hand and he is kinda smirking

Here is the measurement of his foot, the bottom right shows you it is 6.62 cm or appx 2 1/2 in!

Here is the 4D pic of big foot

This are his long fingers holding his forearm and his leg bent below

A close up of his long leg, the measurement showed us he is going to be tall!

A half peek of AJ's cute little face

So I may not have posted the kitchen pictures yet, but I think the pictures of AJ are more fun anyway! Check back later this week for the kitchen update.

Where does the time go???

2009-05-06T12:00:00.005-04:00

Has it really been 2 1/2 weeks since my last post??? Wow, time is really flying and progress is not keeping up! I still need to take some kitchen pictures and hopefully I will get them this weekend. I spent the last 5 days sick in bed, and it totally wiped me out. The whole coughing while pregnant thing is so not fun. Not to mention being sick took away a weekend from me, so I got a big old NOTHING accomplished. On the bright side, Art scrubbed the bathrooms, mopped the kitchen floor and did a bunch of laundry on his Sunday off work. AND...he made me homemade asparagus soup, from scratch, using his mom's recipe and asparagus from our garden. I couldn't really taste it 100% with all the congestion, but it was awesome and I thanked him everyday! So we are down to 10 Sundays until AJ, but....1 is the baby shower, so really we are down to 9. And there is no telling if he will decide to make an early appearance. He is due on a Thursday, so I think we will get that last Sunday (or at least my fingers are crossed that we will). Speaking of AJ, we have a growth ultrasound on Tuesday, so lots of pictures are going to be appearing in the next week. :)

13 Sundays

2009-04-17T11:34:00.002-04:00

YIKES!! Art works 6 days a week-YEAR ROUND (yuck!) - and during busy season it is seven days a week. With things starting to leaf out and slow down around here, I have started counting down to AJ's arrival by Sundays. As in, "Hey Art, we only have 13 Sundays left to get EVERYTHING together!" But then you factor in the Sundays that we will not be doing anything related to the house, and that leaves us with 9 or 10 Sundays. I think I am officially freaked out. When will this "nesting" stuff start to kick in??

Oh and I didn't forget about the new kitchen pictures, I just need to tidy up before I take and post them. Hope everyone enjoys the BEAUTIFUL weekend (okay well, Saturday) we are going to have; I will be at the beach for a hair and facial appointment hopefully followed by a nice stroll on the boardwalk with the fam.

I was recruited!

2009-04-15T18:27:00.006-04:00

This weekend we got anxious to move the baby furniture into the room, so Art and I did it one night by ourselves. No worries, there was no heavy lifting involved for me (though I do think it was not smart for Art's back). Art would lift a corner of the furniture and my job was to place a carpet slider under it, then I had to guide the furniture while he pushed/pulled and whatnot. I was exhausted, so I am sure Art was super exhausted, but it is done now. Well the baby's room anyway; the rest of the upstairs is another post. I still have not put up pictures of the new kitchen, but I plan on taking some this weekend. So, I will leave you with some before pictures. I totally forgot to take the before pictures until after the work was started, but I think you will get the idea of how awful it was!

This is the old lighting fixture

Here is pea-green countertops (the backsplash was the same pea-green formica) and the lovely gold floor. All circa 1970s. The picture does not fully show the ugliness!

Time is a flyin'

2009-04-10T11:52:00.003-04:00

Holy cow! I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post. CRAZY!! Thing are slowly getting done in the house. Art's Mom helped us clean, no scratch that, SCRUB the kitchen from top to bottom so that we could put things away. Then she packaged up for storage the stuff I no longer use and put dishes and kitchen supplies away where I wanted them. It was a huge lifesaver and took both Bev and Art 4 days of working in the evenings from about 6-10pm every night. They wouldn't let me help, so I had to sit at the table and tell them where stuff went, but I did get to cut the shelf liners! haha. Now the random stuff around the house is all garage stuff, but it is busy season and Art has been swamped so he has not been able to trek it outside. Now we have to tackle the upstairs and move all the furniture. The weekend we were going to do it my Dad got sick, so we lost our helper. Unfortunately for us (but good for my sister), they will be swamped helping Jen with the move to the new place, so I guess we will have to recruit more help. All in all, it is coming together and I am very happy with the progress. Hard to believe AJ will be here in 97 days!!

Home Stretch and AJ Update!

2009-03-17T11:00:00.003-04:00

Well, the contractor work is 100% completed! YAHOO!! But, now the fun part of putting the house back together. As much as we both wanted to jump in and start right away, we were unable to because not only was Art's back out of order, but he then got hit with the nasty stomach virus going around. The carpets and floors were finished on Thursday afternoon, and by Thursday night Art was spending his time in the bathroom. I think he got the bug because he was going to fight through the pain in his back to put the house back together, and this was a way to force him to take a much needed bedrest!

I have my 22.5 week doctors appointment today. Although the ultrasounds are done, we do get to hear AJ's little heart beat today. That is always exciting. Hard to believe the little guy will be here in 121 days (give or take a few). It seems so far away, but then on the other hand it seems right around the corner. There is so much to be done to get ready, but I am sure it will all come together with plenty of time to spare. My belly has definitely popped, but I have not taken any belly pictures. I don't quite understand the thrill of taking them, and I get tired of people telling me I will regret it if I don't "document this amazing time." I mean seriously, why would I want to take pictures of the fattest time in my life?? Like someday I will look back and say, oh look how cute I was with my big belly, swollen knees, and puffy face and arms. Ummm, no. Not for me. I will take a picture on the way to the hospital and that will about do it for the belly shots. Sorry to anyone hoping to catch a glimpse and have a chuckle, not happening. However, I suppose it would be rude of me to ban cameras at the baby shower, so much to my disapproval there will most likely be some sort of pictures of me during my preggo days. But no worries, there will NEVER be any posed or bare belly photos and that is a promise!

While I Was Waiting...

2009-03-12T09:42:00.003-04:00

I decided to set-up the Eye-Fi card I got for Christmas and play with my new camera to kill time while waiting for the carpet guys. The Eye-Fi card was SUPER EASY to set-up and I highly recommend it! The card comes with a USB adapter to plug into your computer. My desktop PC has a SD card slot so I do not need it for that, but my MacBook does not have a slot. The best part about it is I can use the USB adapter to plug my non-Eye-Fi cards into my Mac so I do not have to bother with the camera and the cords to upload my pictures. I also have it set up to upload all of my pictures not only to my computer, but also to SnapFish. SCORE! Major time saving accomplished! As part of set-up I had to have the camera ready to take a picture, Stoli was my test subject.

Now for an update on the house. The floor guy came yesterday and finished the install, BUT Art now has to put a small 1/4" roll trim at the base of the woodwork so the floor does not roll up over time. The guy could have done it himself, but he only had white trim and with all mahogany woodwork, it definitely would not have looked nice. So Art and his dad went to Home Depot yesterday, bought the trim and stained it. Once his back is feeling better he will cut and install it, then my kitchen can finally be cleaned and put back together.

Dinner is Cancelled

2009-03-11T09:41:00.006-04:00

The floor people came on Friday, put in the sub-floor and told me they would be back on Saturday to finish the install. They show up on Saturday around 10:30 am and ask if I got the message. Nope. No message delivered here. Well, apparently I picked out the newest and toughest floor that Armstrong offers and the sales girl who placed our order neglected to order the correct adhesive for the floor (she was unaware there was a special adhesive), so they told me they can not finish the job until next week. They only came to the house because they left their tools here, otherwise I guess I would have been waiting all day for that message. UGH!! They were very nice and offered to move the appliances back into the kitchen, but I told them I have been without a kitchen for over a month, what is a few more days? So now I am home, waiting again, for the floor guys to show up. On the bright side, the sales lady felt so bad about her mistake that she bumped another carpeting appointment and the carpet guys are scheduled to come out tomorrow and stretch the upstairs carpet where it is raised and ridging. (The guys who install kitchens do not do carpets, so we needed two appointments.) It looks like maybe Thursday everything will be done...fingers crossed but not holding my breath. Hopefully my house will finally get back to some sort of order this weekend, but that is a big maybe, depending on Art's back. On Sunday it was spasming and tightening up, so Monday we went to the Chiropractor and he has been taking his muscle relaxers and pain killers, but he has gotten no relief. So we called the back doctor and he is on stronger pain meds and going to have an MRI done either Thursday or Friday. Hopefully it will not be anything serious and a few more days rest will do the trick.

After all the downer news, I will end this post with the latest (and cutest) picture of AJ. All went well at the appointment last Friday, he is now measuring 9 1/2 inches long and weighing in at 1 pound!

The Light is Back On!

2009-03-03T09:50:00.003-05:00

I guess I owe someone dinner, because the light at the end of my tunnel is back ON! The contractor arrived today (he would have come yesterday, but apparently he got a snow day even though the farm was still open and running, yes I am bitter I had to work) and he said he will be finished tomorrow. The floor will be installed on Friday and Saturday will be a busy day of restoring order to my kitchen. YAHOO!!! I forgot to take before pictures of the bathroom/laundry room, but I was able to get a few pictures of the kitchen to give an idea of the "before."

Friday will be a great day- the renovations should be complete and to top it all off, I have another ultrasound to see my little guy. Pictures will follow next week!

Now What??

2009-02-25T10:41:00.002-05:00

Just when I thought I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I get this email from my mom:

**Notification Alert: **

Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas and oil, as well as current market conditions -The Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off.

**We apologize for the inconvenience**

Well, I must have been seeing something else, because with this email came the news that the renovations will NOT be done this week (as was previously anticipated). We have been without a kitchen, laundry room, and downstairs bathroom for a MONTH! About 2 weeks ago the sink and tile for the back splash came in and we were just waiting on the counter tops. Well the counter tops were delivered a week ago, but when we picked up the sink we found out it was the wrong one! They gave us an 8" deep single basin instead of a 10" deep double basin...big difference! And being custom ordered from Chicago, it was not just a quick swap. So anyway, the correct sink is now in and everything is ready, except the contractor. Go figure! I just want my house back to normal, the dining room is spilling over with everything from the laundry room/pantry and the entryway and living room are piled high with everything from the kitchen cabinets and counters. On the bright side (as my mom pointed out) at least we don't have kids to be dealing with during this mess. We did pick out the new kitchen floor over the weekend and we were told it will take 1 week to arrive, so maybe if one thing decides to go right on schedule then the floor will arrive just as the kitchen is done. Also in our favor, the flooring people have done a lot of work for us in the past and they are super quick about coming out for the install.

So, if anyone can maybe get that light working again soon (or at least get the contractor back to my house) I promise a dinner from new kitchen is headed your way!

Introducing AJ

2009-02-12T20:51:00.004-05:00

It has been the hardest 18 weeks keeping this secret from our family and friends, especially after Brandie announced her pregnancy at Christmas. However, after a wonderful ultrasound I can finally announce that AJ is expected to arrive on July 16, 2009. Yes, that's right, only 4 days after Brandie is due. It will definitely be a busy summer for our family!

Here are some of the pictures from today, the tech went into 4D for a few minutes to try and get some good pictures for us. We did get some cute profiles, but AJ did not want to move and give us any other shots and we did not push it. So here he is, starting with Art's favorite shot:

Happy Valentine's Day!??

2009-02-12T09:02:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay- I know Valentine's Day is not until February 14th. However, it seems Art has inherited present impatience from his father. Every birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or other gift giving holiday Art's dad has a very hard time keeping a secret and waiting until said holiday to give Bev her gift. It has become a game to see how long he will make it before either letting it slip or just giving it to her. So anyway, as Art gets older, he too is developing this impatience. The thought of having a gift in the house for me kills him, even if I do not know about the gift. Enter Valentine's Day 2009. First example, about a week ago I was reading through the local Clipper magazine and telling Art all the restaurants that are having Valentine's Day specials. He then tells me, "no need to read those I already have reservations somewhere." "Oh okay, well where are we going?""Nope, it's a surprise, not telling.""Okay." And the conversation ends. Well about five minutes later (we were in the car, I was still looking through the Clipper while Art drove) "okay, fine! We are going to Farnsworth House. I made reservations today." Example two, Art asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day to which I replied nothing. Let's just have a nice dinner and skip the gifts, and I sincerely mean this as we do not generally give Valentine's gifts. Well fast forward a couple days to yesterday, I am sitting in the downstairs entryway cleaning and sorting through the junk from the laundry room (it is being renovated and stuff is everywhere, that is another post in itself). In walks Art holding a box and says, look what cupid dropped off - Happy Valentine's Day! He then proceeds to tell me it arrived via UPS that afternoon and it has been killing him that he had it and had to wait 3 more days. So what was it you may ask? My Nikon D90 camera that I did not get for Christmas. So I guess I won't complain that I got it early.

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

XOXO

Under Construction!!

2009-01-19T16:55:00.001-05:00

Don't mind the appearance of lack of posts, I am under construction right now!

My Wish List

2008-11-14T13:31:00.008-05:00

Thought it would be fun to post a wish list, so here goes:

After reading about this awhile back on Rachael's blog, I decided it must go on the Wish List. If you have wi-fi in your house, the card will automatically send your pictures from your camera to your computer once you bring the camera home and are with-in distance to your wi-fi. It eliminates all the having to connect the camera and manually upload your pictures, big time saver! But with a new memory card, should come a new camera, next on the Wish List....

The Nikon d90 DX 12.3 MP Digital SLR camera with 18-105mm zoom lens. Yup, this is the one Ashton Kutcher is advertising on TV. It is a beautiful camera, I did my research and this is the one I want. Art went to look at them with me at the camera store, so he is fully aware of this wish. Next on the list...

Ugg Classic Tall boots in Chocolate. I love my Ugg boots, sadly, I think it is time to replace them. With the weather getting colder each day, it is definitely time to upgrade to the tall (I currently have the classic short, but I am always cold, so maybe the tall will help me out a little bit). Oh and for anyone else wanting some Uggs, if you order from Nordstrom and use the code HOLIDAY08 at checkout, you will get free shipping. SCORE!
So that is it for today. What is on your Wish List?

Do you see what I see?

2008-11-07T19:48:00.002-05:00

Yup, that's right. I am already in the holiday spirit and the blog is showing it. Enjoy the changes, more posts to follow.

Snaps for Elle!!

2008-08-13T14:07:00.005-04:00

I took my Mom to NYC last Thursday to see Legally Blonde on Broadway for an early birthday present to her. (Okay, technically she took me because she drove, but her little Jetta proved much better in NYC traffic than my beast Expedition!) Anyway, we absolutely loved the show! It was such a fun, upbeat production and the cast was excellent. As we went into the theatre (it is playing at the Palace Theatre) we decided to go to the bar and get a drink. The bartender informed us that if we wanted to take our drinks into the theatre we would need to buy them in a "sippy cup." So sure, why not?! We ordered the "Bruiser" which was simply vanilla vodka and bailey's with ice. What a yummy drink, and yeah, this "sippy cup" was actually a little sports bottle. So the drink lasted the whole first half of the show and we each got a little souvenir to take home. Snaps for the "Bruiser".

So if anyone is interested in seeing Legally Blonde on Broadway, I HIGHLY recommend and, and I can offer you a little savings. If you buy your tickets, and see the show, before September 7th, you can get 50% off the $120 face value by entering the promotion code DIVA on the ticketmaster website. After all taxes and fees, the tickets come out to be $75 each!!

Oh, and PS...

the the show was so great, I am going to see it again in September!!

iBUMMER

2008-08-12T09:39:00.003-04:00

So my new iLife '08 arrived and I quickly opened it up and started the update process only to find out my laptop does not have a big enough processor for the iMovie '08. Everything else on iLife, installed. The ONE application that I wanted, no go. So needless to say I am quite bummed! My Macbook is only about 2 years old, I guess it just goes to show you how quickly they become outdated. It looks like Art and I may be getting a new Mac for Christmas.

For those of you who stayed to the end of the video, you were able to see Stoli enjoying his summer favorite...CORN! Yes, my dogs LOVES, LOVES, LOVES corn on the cob. He will actually bark at the counter if he knows it is up there. And no, we don't floss for him. He is on his own with that one.

We met "N" and got to see little "B" this past Sunday. Such cuties!! Little "B" has grown so much and is such a happy, content baby. And "N" is just so much fun, she certainly enjoyed climbing on Uncle Art and getting some horsey rides. Congrats to Brandie and Steve, they have worked hard to bring their little girl home and we are just so happy for them!

Home from Maine

2008-07-25T13:05:00.006-04:00

We had a quiet, relaxing trip to Maine. It was a much needed long weekend away and Stoli made the most of his three days on the lake. Enjoy a little movie below. (sorry the sound quality is so bad, I get my new iLife and iMovie '08 on Monday, so I will redo the video and post it then.)

Wii Fit

2008-05-25T17:05:00.004-04:00

Art and I happened to be in the right place at the right time today. We have been looking for a Wii Fit since they came out last week, and luckily came across one today. I have to say it is very entertaining, and while I have not tried all the workouts, Art had a lot of fun today. I was able to catch this little video of Art on the cardio hula-hoop, he wasn't too happy to see I had the camera out, but I couldn't resist. The video is a little dark, but enjoy!

A Disappointing Day

2008-04-24T10:57:00.001-04:00

I am very sad to report Stoli did not win the Bissell MVP contest. Stoli is a little sad, but I took him for a long walk on the farm yesterday and he seemed to forget all about it. Amazing what a little fresh air can do for you!

Voting closes tomorrow!

2008-04-21T09:41:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is the last day to vote, so if you haven't yet voted PLEASE VOTE NOW!!!

Thanks to everyone who has already voted, Stoli and I appreciate it very much!

Voting is Open!!

2008-04-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

Stoli needs your help!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE click on this link and vote for Stoli, it seriously takes 2 seconds!!! You only have to enter your name and email address and you are done!!

PLEASE HELP STOLI WIN!!!

http://www.bissell.com/redirect.asp?page_id=47201&Pet=1071

Thanks everyone, Stoli really appreciates your support!! And please forward this link on to everyone in your mailbox!!!!

Officially Entered

2008-04-14T11:17:00.004-04:00

Stoli is officially entered into the Bissell contest and voting begins TOMORROW!! Unfortunately, I had to make an executive decision and decide which picture to enter (I found the contest last minute and wanted to make sure I did not miss the deadline, so I entered Stoli at lunch, prior to receiving any comments). Sorry to disappoint, but I decided to go with picture #3,

This picture was chosen because after looking at the winners from previous weeks, who have advanced to the finals, I noticed a common factor- they all had big smiles. So while Stoli looks very proud and dignified in his new coat picture (#4), I felt that this picture was the best showcase of his dynamic smile!

I will be posting a link tomorrow that will lead you right to Stoli's picture. All you have to do to vote is enter your name and email address. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help Stoli advance to the finals by forwarding on the link to EVERYONE in your address books!!! Stoli needs your help!

On a side note, I just got back last night from spending the weekend with little B. Aside from the 2 EXPLOSIVE poopy diapers**, we had a fun time together. Kids sure are a lot of work, it is weird having something totally depend on you for EVERYTHING!! Not to mention every little noise in the night wakes me from my usual deep sleep, resulting in a quick look at the awesome video monitor to make sure everything is okay. This parenting thing is tough and to think I was only on duty for 36 hours!!

** Little B. sure does like his diaper changed, he smiles the whole time and I swear the smile he made for poopy diapers was more of a "haha, you like that one? Gotcha!" I mean I am talking a 10 wipe diaper here! It was soooo gross, and I definitely gagged and didn't know if I was going to make it!

Moving on to bigger and better contests!!

2008-04-10T14:54:00.008-04:00

That's right, I have found a new pet contest and this time I will NOT let Stoli down! In fact, I do believe this is a better contest to be in as it will jump start Stoli's male-modeling career (possibly even a contender for Male Model of the Year, I can hear it now, "That Stoli is so hot right now!").

Anyhow, the new contest is sponsored by Bissell, you can get the details here:

http://www.bissell.com/MVP_Pet_Photo_Contest.aspx

But basically, the winning dog gets his photo on the box of the new Magic Pet Eraser Vacuum, AND....$10,000 will be donated to the animal charity of Stoli's choice. Now if Stoli makes it past round one, we win a vacuum, and he is in the running for the finals. Each week's winner is chosen by online voting (I hope you all participate daily, Stoli is counting on his fans) and the finals will be judged on the following three criteria:

Expression
Overall Appearance
Condition of Coat

I think Stoli has it in the bag, maybe I am partial, but I really do!

Now I need your help, I have to submit the photo by tomorrow, so I want your opinion on which one to send.

Picture #1

Picture#2

Picture #3

Picture #4

I am the WORST Mommy!

2008-04-07T08:30:00.003-04:00

I feel so terrible! Art bought me a last minute ticket to Cayman, and I surprised my family and went to the islands for 3 days. I got home late Saturday night, and then all day Sunday we were grocery shopping, running errands, and cleaning. Entering Stoli's photo totally slipped my mind over the weekend, but I thought that's okay, I will do it this morning. Well, here is where the worst Mommy comes in....entries must have been submitted by last night!!! I thought it was today, but I was wrong. I feel so bad!

Poor Stoli, his stardom will have to wait for the next contest I guess.

What to Wear?!?!

2008-03-31T15:58:00.005-04:00

So I am having a huge problem deciding what to wear, and for once it is not what I want to wear, but what I want Stoli to wear! As I was checking my email this morning, I noticed one from Snapfish, and as I was clicking it to delete, the subject caught my eye! Snapfish and Petsmart are teaming up and hosting a pet photo contest!! You can check it out here...

http://www1.snapfish.com/viewallcontests/otsc=IAD/otsi=2008_03_29

And I definitely want to enter Stoli in the Funny pet category, but I am torn on what he should wear. This is one of my favorites,

but I am not sure if it has enough in it to win it!

Then I was also thinking of maybe putting him in a polo shirt (with the collar popped of course), his shorts, and sunglasses, and letting him stand on the corvette seat with his paws on the wheel. He could be one happening dog. Stoli has been in the corvette before and he has even put his paws on the wheel, so I don't think I will get much objection from Art. But maybe to be safe, it will be another one of those Saturday projects while Art is at work kinda things.

I had a visitor at work today that reminded of a day little A. was in the office with me. I was sitting at my desk and noticed a halloween bug crawling on my stack of invoices (we call them Halloween bugs because they are black and orange, or black and red, but I think they are actually called boxelder bugs). Anyway, these bugs frequently visit us in the office, and apparently they are frequent visitors to little A. at home as well. When she was here, I had her set up in the back room off of the main office watching tv and coloring. Well she came out of her "private office" with this disgusted look on her face and something pinched between her fingers. She went straight to Uncle Art's desk and said, "Uncle Art this BUG (drawn out and emphasized with disgust and annoyance) was on my desk and I DO NOT like bugs, so you need to do something about it." At this point we were all rolling over laughing and asked her why she would pick up and carry the bug to us if she does not like them so much. Little A. did not have a reason, but went on to tell us that she has these bugs at home on her window and they "seriously gross her out, for real!" So Uncle Art took the bug from her and squished it in a tissue, then little A. was on her way. So when I had my visitor on my desk today, I cried out, "EWWW, Uncle Art! I do not like this BUG and you NEED to do something about it!" So thanks A. for making us laugh again!

Happy Belated Easter!

2008-03-28T13:58:00.003-04:00

Just because we don't have kids, doesn't mean we don't take Easter pictures! This year, Stoli wanted to audition for the coveted Cadbury Egg bunny position...here are his head shots:

And yes, we did dye eggs too! I really wanted to dip Stoli's paw in the dye and press it on an egg, but Art was dead against it, and won in the end. So, sorry Mom, you will not be getting an egg from Stoli this year. Maybe next year that will be a Saturday project while Art is at work. :)

Giving it a try....

2008-03-27T13:51:00.003-04:00

Our family is not really into the Myspace thing, and while I enjoy Facebook, it really doesn't allow for blogging, so I am taking Brandie's lead and setting up a blog to try and keep all the scattered family updated on our happenings. While I may not have much to write about, I will try my best to post as often as I can; not only about me and Art, but also about Jen's family. (Since Jen already has her hands full with her kids, and is most likely the last one to start a blog,and I live so close, it will be easy to upload some pics and stories of her amusing kids. Don't worry, I will get her consent first!)

Art has been asking me what I want for my birthday, and today, I figured it out! I told him I want a flip camera in pink. Now that I am blog-savy I think it is only fitting to upload videos every now and then, and no easier way than Flip, right?? For those of you not certain what it is, here is a link http://www.theflip.com/ You can even buy an underwater case that allows you take it 30 feet underwater! Super fun!! I know you all want to see a video (instead of this boring still) of Stoli swimming during the summer!

Speaking of Stoli, be sure to check back often, as I will be showcasing his wardrobe. When you don't have kids to dress up, your dog becomes the next best thing!

That about does it for this entry, hope you all enjoy!

Life on the Farm

Still here, still preggo!

Exciting posts coming soon!

64 days?!??!

Wordless Wednesday

October in Review

Blogger Blues!

A weight has been lifted...

Wordless Wednesday

Goodbye F*aceb*ook!

AJ at 2 years

September night at the ballpark

And then it was September!

10 Months Later...

Feeling like Fall

Still here!

Hey Mom, Look What I Can Do!!

Videos of AJ

My oh my, it's May!

Spring has Sprung

"First" Pictures

Catch up in pictures

Family Portraits

Happy Thanksgiving!

4 Months Old!

Playing Catch-up!

3 Months and AJ's Moving out!

What's that you said AJ?

Go Phillies!

J! E! T! S!

2 Months Old!

All Smiles!

1 Month Old!

Happy Birthday, Stoli!

Growing boy!

We made it through the first week!

The eviction notice has been given!

Who gave him a baseball?!?

We have a baby!

Still here!

The waiting game!

Stoli the Diving Dog

Any day!

5 Sundays!!

My Baby Shower

Progress and Set Backs

Waste of Time!

Single Digits!

Keeping 1/2 the promise!

Where does the time go???

13 Sundays

I was recruited!

Time is a flyin'

Home Stretch and AJ Update!

While I Was Waiting...

Dinner is Cancelled

The Light is Back On!

Now What??

Introducing AJ

Happy Valentine's Day!??

Under Construction!!

My Wish List

Do you see what I see?

Snaps for Elle!!

iBUMMER

Home from Maine

Wii Fit

A Disappointing Day

Voting closes tomorrow!

Voting is Open!!

Officially Entered

Moving on to bigger and better contests!!

I am the WORST Mommy!

What to Wear?!?!

Happy Belated Easter!

Giving it a try....

Goodbye Facebook!