this past weekend...

We headed up to Phoenix, yet again to celebrate some birthdays!!! August is a busy month for birthdays around here: our friends Travis, Joe, and Kevin all have birthdays, as well our next door neighbor Katie. Plus, Rick's sister and Grandfather, as well as my sister in law Carissa, and her son Bladen also have birthdays. Phew!

Friday night we headed up to Phoenix and loaded up at Ikea. I hate going to that place, but we got so many things for the nursery, it was pretty awesome. Then we met Ann and Marcel for dinner (Annie ordered three things, yes three, off the menu and neraly finished it all. She is nothing short of amazing), and went to my parents' house to relive their recent Italian vacation. It was nice to see everyone.

Saturday morning we went to Rick's parents' house where I met up with his Mom and sister for a girls' day of fun to celebrate Samantha's birthday!

First we headed to Drybar. I love love love this place. What an indulgence. They had champagne and mimosas, and I had cucumber water. The deep conditioning treatment and scalp massage were to die for! Here are our before and after pics:

They did an amazing job! Worth every penny! And I am still rockin' my blowout 4 days later.... gotta love thick hair.

After that we went to True Foods for lunch. We all shared the vegetable crudite, artichoke pizza, chicken salad sandwich, and kale salad. It was sooooo good. We finished up the day with some shopping at Giggle, Lululemon, and H & M.

That night we all headed out to Copperblues for dinner, and Lucky Strike for some bowling. They did not have any lanes, so we went to a bar close to home. They drank, we all laughed. It was such a fun day!

The next morning I woke up early to meet a friend from college for breakfast.... it was so nice catching up with Shylah, and she gave me crib bedding and all the baby hangers I could ever need, as well as a learning toy for my little babe. It's amazing how people you haven't see in five years still can be so generous and thoughtful!

After breakfast my brothers and their families came over for a pool party at my parent's to celebrate Carissa and Bladen's birthday. It was fun, albeit short, party but it was nice to get everyone together. I do love those kids. My little niece is so so delicious.

We quickly headed back to Tucson so Rick could do a fantasy football draft. I should hang a sign that says "We interrupt this marriage, to bring you football season". No truer words have ever been spoken.

That night I had a little meltdown trying to pick out my outfit for work the next day. Even the "go to" shirts that I thought would last me my whole pregnancy were not fitting, and I got upset. Rick is always so good at consoling me when I get sad, and he convinced me to go get some new things the next day. I have really only bought a small amount of maternity items, and was determined not to by anything. I think it is such a waste of money, and I really do not like shopping. I am an online girl all the way, but he was right, it was time. And he left me this the next morning: 

My blessings are not lost on me, I assure you. Oh, and I got loads of maternity clothes yesterday, and I am so happy I did...

30 weeks.

How far along? 30 Weeks

Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: all of a sudden sleep is not so great - The babe has been waking me up by moving around at 3 am and 430 am the last couple of nights, let's hope this gets better!!!
Best moment this week: Finding out my brother is having a boy!!! And also seeing all the movement on the outside of my stomach- it looks like there is an alien in there!
Miss Anything? Sandwiches! I will not chance it though- a friend of a friend got listeria from Subway last week at 18 weeks pregnant and is in the hospital! There is no messing around with that, people!
Movement: Pretty much constant rib shots- thanks little baby.
Food cravings: still loving sweets, desserts, and the Carmela's Caprese sandwich from Beyond Bread. YUM!
Anything making you queasy or sick: seafood in general ...bleh!
Gender: SURPRISE!!! Although the string test said BOY.... who knows, I think it's just a whole lot of hubaloo...
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, rib pain, and sciatic nerve pain. WHY doesn't anyone tell you about all this??
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: so very happy, we love this baby so much already....
Looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!!! We are ALMOST there!!

29 weeks.

How far along? 29 Weeks

Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week: I passed my glucose test, 116!!! No 3 hour test for me, thank goodness, and the test was not bad at all!
Miss Anything? being able to shop/walk/clean for hours without getting out of breath, sore back and swollen toes... fitting into all of my summer clothes from last year... sandwiches.
Movement: lots of movement still, some pretty painful rib shots, but I still love feeling the baby move around!
Food cravings: sweets of any kind - chocolate, peanut butter, sugary treats, and really good Mexican food. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: homemade salads and seafood
Gender: Surprise!!!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, non-stop pain in my ribs, and that sciatic nerve should just be removed it gives me so much trouble!
Belly Button in or out? still flat,becoming a bit of an outie!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: The fall weather, finishing the nursery, and all the other babies that are growing in my friends' and family's bellies!!!

Sofia.

On July 19th, at 11:06 pm, my sweet niece Sofia was born. Her Mommy Carissa was such a champ, as Sofia weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, 2 weeks early! Sofia is beyond beautiful and I love her so much. If a niece can fill my heart with such joy, I cannot imagine what being a Mommy will be like. The day was made even more special because it would have been my beloved Grandpa Poppi's 98th birthday. Welcome, little Sofia...

25 weeks.

How far along? 25 Weeks
Total weight gain: 10 lbs gained
Maternity clothes? still wearing most of my old clothes - using the belly band to hold my jeans closed.
Stretch marks? not yet
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week: Finishing the paint in the nursery, and buying our bassinet! I am getting more and more excited to buy things for the little one, and much less overwhelmed! 
Miss Anything? A glass of wine or a cocktail with dinner on the weekends, but no big... I guess I'll learn to love water. :)
Movement: All the time, it's fun to see baby moving from the outside, or when it kicks and my stomach juts out really fast!
Food cravings: Still sweets & fruit - candy and bananas, peaches, melon, oranges.... but mostly candy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still not eager to eat seafood any time soon.
Gender: Surprise!!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Round ligament pain and lower back pain is pretty constant, but the back pain gets really bad if I clean all day. I have had a couple bouts with acid reflux, but a TUM stops that in it's tracks. 
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY! I am just so excited and loving feeling good right now. I am nervous for the 3rd trimester!
Looking forward to: We find out the gender of our wonderful friends Ann and Marcel's little baby, and my brother's girlfriend is getting induced tomorrow! It would have been Poppy (my sweet grandpa's) 98th birthday tomorrow, too. It will be a very special day we will remember forever!

Handy Dandy.

It seems like years, but months ago, my sweet husband and his Dad, Tony, started a project in the room off of our master. I was just a plain "sitting room" with carpet and 3 walls. Rick had an idea to raise the floor, put in steps and wood flooring, make built in shelves with crown molding, a window seat, and a bench with storage. Recently, he finished the room and I couldn't be more pleased with what he was able to build with his bare hands. Now to the fun part, my part: decorating it! We are having cushions made for the benches and it needs books on the shelves, pictures on the walls...

My handy husband is able to do so much around the house: fix broken dryers, leaky faucets, busted garbage disposals, and even change my brakes. Our little family is so lucky, and he has learned so much from Tony, we are both grateful to him. Next project, the backyard oasis... cannot wait.

Father's Day Weekend.

This weekend was full of lots of visiting with family and friends, as Phoenix trips always are...

Rick was in Tampa Bay all week for work, so I traveled up to Phoenix Thursday afternoon to spend some time with my friend Ann. A little while back she had some complications with her pregnancy and was ordered to be on bed rest. She is someone that is always on the go, so it was especially hard for her. On Thursday she was given the all clear to venture out of the house, so I took her out for a little shopping and some dinner. I was so happy to see her up on her feet, but you should have seen how slowly I went over speed bumps and took corners.

Friday morning I picked Rick up at the airport, and he spent the rest of the morning napping and recovering from his trip. Then we headed over to Joe and Jill's house to swim and BBQ. I hadn't seen Jill since I got pregnant, so she was loving the bump I was sporting, and generously gave me her breast pump, body pillow, car mirror, and many bottles. When she comes to Tucson next she is letting me raid her parent's house for the rest of her son's old baby stuff. I am so lucky to have her as a friend- she has really made this whole baby planning thing much easier!

Saturday was my brother Mike's and his girlfriend Carissa's baby shower at their house. It was co-ed so Rick came with, and we ate lots of candy, played some games, and played with her kids.

After the shower we all rested up and headed out to dinner to celebrate Father's Day with my side of the family. It was surreal that both my brothers and husband were all celebrating their first Father's Day together... Next year will be crazy, as all of the babies will be here and not in Moms' bellies.

Sunday morning we slept in, and my Mom made eggs benedict and Rick's favorite potatoes for them for Dad's Day. Since she cooked, I got to do the dishes.... and there were lots of them. While I was washing the boys watched NASCAR and bummed around. We got ready and then headed over to Rick's parents house and then to Samantha's to spend the rest of the day celebrating with his family. Three words: ice cream cake. For a girl that doesn't eat junk food, Samantha sure can make it. YUM.

This weekend was another whilrlwind, we were exhausted when we came home, but it was worth every second. Next time we will be up, my little brother's baby will be born. SO excited!

my weekend in pictures.

This weekend was rodeo weekend in Tucson= two days off of work. Not too shabby... My hubby and I and his family jetted off to a weekend of fun in the sun in Cabo San Lucas. Yup- it was beautiful, warm, and lots of fun. Here are a few photos of a crazy weekend that went by way too fast...

Party Time!

This weekend was one of my favorites to date... we were able to hang with lots of friends and family, and we had the best time. Saturday night, Randi and Kevin hosted a BBQ at their house, lots of food, laughing, and dancing... unfortunately I did not take any pictures. This may have been because of the bottle of Swedish fish flavored vodka my husband and I polished off. Thanks, Ann, for the ride home! Sunday was the Superbowl and Rick's Mom's 50th birthday- more food, more fun, more drinks. This weekend we get to do it all over again! Ann and Marcel are coming to visit! This eating and drinking binge of late does not bode well for my Cabo bikini body- oh well, totally worth it!

So ready for this!

Today, we are heading up to Phoenix to spend time with our nearest and dearest! My oldest friend, Randi, has offered to have a BBQ tonight so that Rick and I can visit with friends we don't get to see very often. I am so excited to visit with people I haven't seen in months!

Then, tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday, as well as Rick's Mom's birthday! Another day of eating, drinking, and celebrating ahead.... I see a lot of beer, Mexican food, and various chips and dips in my future. I couldn't be more pumped- Superbowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year! GO GIANTS!

My Christmas in photos.

** It was the best Christmas ever.... full of love, laughter, quality time with friends and family, and a new addition. Congratulations to my brother Mike and his beautiful girlfriend Carissa! New Burdorf coming: July 2012~ xoxo