Eight Months...

On Sunday I will have completed 32 weeks of pregnancy!

So, I will officialy be in my 33rd week. WOW!

8 months and counting....chugga, chugga, chug...

http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/Pregnancy/calendar/week/32

Ava Jolie...WHO?

I couldn't resist.
Look at those lips.

Our sweet baby girl is growing up on us...

Finito...finally!

Remember our new fence that I was talking about back on the "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors??" post? Come on, you must remember. They started it last Thursday and it was supposed to be finished by Friday evening, possibly Saturday. Ringing any bells?

Yeah, I know, today is Wednesday. The schedule was off a bit, apparently. Actually, many factors played a part:

1- Our ground is very hard with lots of rocks and clay.
2- It rained a bit. Concrete and rain don't mix.
3- The workload seemed to be completely underestimated.
4- There were 64 panels total and 3 gates.
5- Sometimes there were 4 guys working, sometimes 2.

Anyway, it's finally done as of this afternoon. We're excited!
We do have a few kinks to work out with the owner before it's all said and done, but it's pretty much a done deal. Now all that's left is to pay them the remaining balance...fun stuff!

Folks, we have containment!

p.s. These pics aren't great...I will have to take some more another time.

Good Luck Papaw!

Papaw is having shoulder surgery tomorrow morning. He has a severe rotator cuff tear. I think that's right. Anyway, he got it in March when he and Chet went skiing at Jiminy Peak. Not good. The Dr told him it was a really bad tear that was retracted and that the surgery couldn't wait. I think the recovery is going to be close to 6 weeks. Not fun. We'll be thinking of you Papaw and hoping that you are feeling better really soon. We love you!!! xoxoxo

"Take a Wave"

Ava, like most preschoolers, is very attached to the goodbye routine. Kisses, hugs & "noses" (a.k.a. eskimo kisses). Whether one of us is leaving or it's bedtime, this is how it goes in our family.

BUT- we can't forget about the "wave". Each morning when Daddy goes to work she's got to get in all of her kisses, hugs, noses...and then she waits at the window for her wave. It's not a pretty picture when any of these things are accidentally forgotten.

Last night I went shopping with the girls for beach supplies. I said goodbye with the normal routine and was on my way. I later found out from Chet that it went a little something like this.

I got in my car. Ava waited by the window.
"Take a wave, Mom"
"Mommy, take a wave"
"Take a wave, Mommy"
"Mommy, take a wave"
"Mommy!"

Whining, agitation ensued.....
"MOMMY- TAKE A WAVE!!!"
"AHHH MOMMY!!"
"TAKE A WAVE!!"
Tears...heartbreak.

I forgot to wave. Not a fun mommy moment to hear about later.

This morning as Chet was leaving for work...there she went to the window....
"Daddy, take a wave."
My eyes filled up. These are the little things.

Summer Camp

I am happy to report that Ava went back to "school" today.

It was summer camp actually, but hey.

She will go T/Th from 9-12 for 8 weeks.

Ava is very excited and hasn't stopped talking about it.

Mommy got an amazing amount of errands accomplished in my 3 hour window of opportunity. Even though it's only been a few weeks since nursery school let out...it is a very welcome break.

So, all is happy on the mommy & me front.

BTW- camp wasn't without incident today. I picked her up with a new bandaid on her knee and a scratch on her chinny chin.

She seemed rather proud of them actually...uh-oh.

Lovin' My Buddha Belly

This post is inspired by a t-shirt that my sister bought for me when I was pregnant with Ava. She saw a picture of Kate Hudson wearing the shirt in People magazine when she was preggo and she loved it and had to buy it for me. Anyway, I wore it today and was surprised at the many comments that people made & the conversations it started. For reference sake, I was standing in 2 return lines and 1 check out line. I think the ladies were still talking about it in the Target line even after I left.

" What does your shirt say? ......... Isn't that interesting."

"My daughter-in-law doesn't want to gain a pound! She would never wear that shirt!"

"Enjoy it, I'm sure you'll work it off once you've had your baby."

"When are you due?"

"How refreshing to see a pregnant woman who is proud of the size of her belly"

"I love your shirt, where did you get it?"

We all know that birth is a miracle and pregnancy is a blessing. Truly amazing. Most women are only pregnant once, twice, three times....maybe more...in their lives. I have been rather lucky and haven't been sick or overly uncomfortable during either of my pregnancies. I actually like being pregnant for the most part and I do feel proud of my belly. I'm proud that I am growing my future child in there. I feel honored in a weird way. I like that my husband likes to rub my belly and that my daughter helps me put lotion on it daily.

To all the pregnant women out there who are overly obsessed with every single pound that is gained...please stop. Enjoy the ride. It will be over soon and our bodies will hopefully return to normal. A new normal, anyway. But, it is a miracle and a blessing and a gift. It's motherhood and it is beautiful. And to those who feel like being judgemental, glance toward your nearest mirror.

Back in Business

We have been without a BBQ grill for roughly 10 months! No lie!

Chet gave our old one to his brother Tony during the move. The movers wouldn't move it so Chet told his brother it was his if he came and got it. It had seen it's better days and at the time we had enough loose ends on our hands. Between you and me, there was a mouse that kept setting up house in there and it was skeeving me out!

Anyway, Chet got a grill for his bday in May and he picked it up on Father's Day. Tonight we broke it in...FINALLY! Just in time for all the summer fun. Also, (shhhh...) I'm ready for him to do some of the cooking around here with the end of my pregnancy knocking and a baby on the way.

We're excited. It was nothing fancy, just hamburgers and hot dogs, but they were yummy! I can't wait to make kabobs!

On a side note...tonight Chet found a tiny little tick on the inside fold of his arm, opposite his elbow. He likely got it on the golf course today. I couldn't find the tweezers anywhere! While I was searching, Chet disappeared.

Now I had no tweezers, no husband.
I called for him inside and out.
Maybe he went to the store to buy some?
That seemed a bit hasty.
But...his car was in the driveway. Hmmm???
I gave up and kept looking for the tweezers.
Found them!
Still no Chet.
Where is he?
Chet???
I called his phone.
He answered.
He was across the street at our neighbors house.
Okay....
He was in the process of tick removal.
Really!

Granted, our neighbor Vicky is a doctor, and I am not...so I don't feel so bad. I guess I should probably feel lucky that I didn't find those darn tweezers in time. YUCK!!

So, maybe the fence is working?
Okay- that wasn't really funny. Oh well, you can't win em all.

Been There, Done That

Okay- I am well aware that I've gone through this whole pregnancy thing before. I know what I'm about to share shouldn't particularly come as a big shocker to me. BUT- when I checked out my progress report I was shocked at the size of my babes in there.

THAT LITTLE GUY IS HUGE! 18 inches!! No wonder I can't breathe!! Take a look...

http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/Pregnancy/calendar/week/31

p.s. That isn't really me in the photo :)
Ava, however, is convinced that it is me and that is her baby brother in there! hee.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors??

We've all heard the cliche...but is it really true? I guess the answer to the question is TBD in our case. Well, maybe that's not really the question I am pondering at all. We already know that we have good neighbors, but still, what role will the fence really play?

Our chosen fence company is coming tomorrow morning to start our fence. They think it'll be a 3 day job, weather permitting. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Go figure.

Funny, if I was asked to name a few typical "controversial topics", this fence topic wouldn't even cross my mind. Religion, politics, child rearing...typical. In recent months though, I've come to realize that many folks have a strong opinion one way or another regarding fences. Then again, some folks just like to have a strong opinion about everything under the sun, no matter what. Anyway.

I grew up with a fence at most of our homes. Wooden fences. Never thought twice about them particularly...that's just how it was. Interestingly enough, fences seem to be viewed differently in different parts of the country. I personally like fences (not all, mind you, but for the most part). Our first home (Chet & I) was set on 1.35 acres, we didn't have a fence but we were literally surrounded by woods on all sides, so it was ultra private. Our new house is on 1.10 acres but we only have a fraction of the privacy, woods just along the very back of our property line. Granted, we have a big lot but it's wide open....and it's on the corner, luckily set pretty far back with an ample front yard too.

So, after having some landscapers & fence companies come and give us a few quotes, we decided that a fence would be the fastest & safest way to get some much needed boundaries right away. With a 3 year old running everywhere and a little one on the way you can imagine how this feels pertinent to us at this juncture. However, we live in a neighborhood without fences. So, that's where the nervous part kicks in. Hmmm.

We have BIG ideas for our backyard that may or may not ever come to fruition. It's fun to dream anyway. Things like: A pergola. Expanding the concrete around the pool. A garden. A play area. A seating nook. A shed. A pool alarm. A pool cover. A pool house (HA!). An awning. Trees, trees, trees. Landscaping. Grading. We're talking long-range plans here folks. But for now, we're happy with what we have and our current focus is the fence.

Let's hope the old cliche pulls it's weight in our case.

It's Beach Time...

It's that time of year again. Well, not exactly.
We typically take our beach trip in August BUT we have some pretty big events going on in August this year...namely, the birth of our son...so we bumped it up a bit this year. It's our 4th consecutive year to go away with friends to the coast. The group has changed a bit here and there but it has always been a great trip with great weather, great food & great company.

2005- Dewey Beach, Delaware- Erwells, Grabers & Grazianos
(6 adults, 4 kids)
2006- Avalon, NJ- Behans, Grabers, Grazianos, McCormacks
(8 adults, 5 kids)
2007- Stone Harbor, NJ- Behans, Devines, Erwells, Grabers, Grazianos, McCormacks (12 adults, 8 kids)
2008- Avalon, NJ- Behans, Devines, Erwells, Grabers, Grazianos
(10 adults, 7 kids)

I have a feeling that the dynamic is going to be really active this year with the ages of the kids. I think it is so neat that these kids are growing up together, vacationing together and building little friendships. When I look back at the pics from last year they all look like such babies...I've attached a few. The biggest change will be Conal, he was only 2.5 months last year and now he is a big 1 year old! FUN!

So, the countdown has begun. We are going for a week over the 4th of July. In roughly 10 days we will be loading up our car and getting ready to hit the road. And when I say load the car, I mean "load down" the car! We have always taken way too much with us and hopefully this year we can scale it back a bit. Besides, my belly takes up a lot more room than it used to :)

Father's Day Wishes

To all of the special Father's...hope you had a great day!

and, of course, a little humor too...

"A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be." (Author unknown)

30 or 31 weeks?

WARNING- THIS IS CONFUSING. (You may even want to skip this one.)

So, I have officially finished my 30th week of pregnancy! Yeah!

It sounds strange, but in the pregnancy-lingo-world, I am now "In My 31st Week". I will stay "In My 31st Week" until it is over next Sunday and then I will be able to officially say I am "31 weeks". But in actuality, I'll be "In My 32nd Week" at that point. WEIRD STUFF!

I can't imagine that any man will ever comprehend this lingo. Many women...even pregnant women, can't comprehend.

Anyway, they say pregnancy lasts 40 weeks...which is 10 months (considering 4 weeks/month).

But, I delivered Ava 11 days early, at 38.5 weeks. Wouldn't it be lovely if I could pull a repeat of that this go round! Yes, let's do that. I can't even imagine going late. I cannot even bring myself to try and imagine that.

SO IF I deliver early again, I may only be looking at 8 more weeks of this gig...2 more months.

How much further will my stomach be sticking out in 8 weeks? Can my skin stretch any further than it already has? Will I ever be able to shave my legs with ease again? Time will tell.

Out with the "S"

We bought our house from a family whose last name started with an "S".

The day we moved into the neighborhood we met our neighbors across the street and they asked us if our last name started with an "S". No, it does not. After some friendly chit-chat they proceeded to also ask us if we noticed the boxwood shrubs on the center of our front lawn. They informed us that the shrubs were formed into a letter. You guessed it....an S! How tacky! Well, we hadn't noticed this shrubbery eyesore prior and weren't particularly crazy about it either. (Since then we've come to realize that many folks never noticed the "S"....only those with a birds eye view.) Anyway, we thought the "S" would be one of the first things to go. Little did we know that it would take us 10 months to say goodbye to that "S".

Today was that day. Hooray! Chet worked outside clearing the front flower beds and making room for the transplants. I am happy to report that part of the "S" has been transplanted! It's a very exciting day for the "G" family.

Happy 25th Anniversary!

Mamaw & Papaw~ Happy 25th Anniversary!
We hope you have a wonderful time!
We love you!
xo Janis, Chet, Ava G & Baby D

Sounds of Summer

I'm a water person...always have been. So is Chet. Many people would claim the same, I suppose. Actually, let me clarify. Not necessarily getting in the water, although that's nice too at times. Seeing it. Sitting by it. Listening to it. Feeling the breeze off of it. Having a view of it. Eating at a restaurant along it. That's my kind of nice.

When I was a kid we rented the same beach house in South Carolina, year after year, for summer vacation. Those are nice childhood memories that are surprisingly vivid. We lived near the coast in Texas and in California through my school days. We also had a pool for much of my life so I guess that helped the cause. Going to college in San Diego was another water-lovers paradise. I miss it there, living at the beach. Beach and Bay everywhere.

Now here we are landlocked in upstate NY. I pretty much cross the mighty Hudson River daily, and it's always nice to see boats down there cruising around...but it'll never be the coast. There's just something about the coast.

We moved into our new house last August. There is a nice size lake at the foot of our neighborhood. I pass it every time I come and go. You can actually see the lake from 4 or 5 windows in our house. Just a glimpse, mind you. The glimpse is better in the winter when the trees are bare. But still, it's there. Frozen solid in the winter with snowmobiles and ice fishing. Nice and shimmery in the summer with boats & jet skis lining the shore. There is even a beach which has lifeguards and covered picnic tables and a playground and all sorts of stuff. We're looking forward to checking that out a bit this year.

Back to my original point, the Sounds of Summer. Ava and I were riding trikes on the deck this afternoon and all I could hear were the sounds of jet skis and motor boats zipping along the water in the distance. Very peaceful background noise. A nice surprise. Kinda like the sound of a weed whacker humming on the weekend. Something just says Saturday like the sound of a weed whacker. It's comforting somehow. Weird, but true. For me anyway. Who knows, that sounds may make my husband cringe...thinking about needing to get out and cut the lawn.

So, another reason to love our new home. The Sounds of Summer. I'll be listening for the weed whackers tomorrow too!

June 2008

Burrows Reunion

Parsons Reunion

Reunion Re-cap

What a trip! There is really too much to cover.
We had a really nice visit with everyone! It was SO HOT! Mid-nineties every day. We caught up with Aunts and Uncles and cousins galore. It was so great to see Grandpa Burrows and spend some quality time with him. Lots of eating, eating, eating.
Sunscreen....bug spray...sweating...baths.

The Burrows Family Reunion was great, we had a covered shelter on a hill so it was shady and we got a pretty good breeze. The food was great, as usual. We took a ton of pictures, I can't wait to see Mamaw & Aunt Kimmie's too. It was at Jackson Park and there is a huge playground for the kiddos.

The Parsons Family Reunion was fun too. It was at my Uncle Greg's house. He has all sorts of toys and the kids cooled off on the water slide and kiddie pool. My Aunt Donna & Aunt Ellen threw me a surprise Baby Shower and it was really nice. I got a ton of great stuff that will really help out. Now all I need is a big bottle of Dreft.

We celebrated Papaw's 55th Bday on Sunday afternoon. I was glad we got to wish him a happy birthday in person, usually it is just over the phone. Happy Birthday Papaw.

Ava had so much fun playing crazy with her cousins Colin, Adam & Seth. We ate breakfast with them and Aunt Kimmie every morning in the hotel and could hardly contain them from playing hide-n-seek or chase after they finished eating. Ava is like glue to Mamaw. She made her take her to potty every chance she got, no negotiating. Mamaw spoils her rotten.

We will miss everyone so much until we see them again. It is always a busy trip but we make memories that will last forever. We love you all!

Holy Heat Wave!

My car temperature gage reached 100 degrees this afternoon!!

I think I am starting to understand why everyone keeps telling me that I won't like being 9.5 months pregnant in August! The reality is that it is only the beginning of June...I have quite a trek ahead of me if this keeps up!

Let the swelling begin, I suppose...

Hats Off to Ava!

Today was the 2008 Hansel & Gretel Nursery School Graduation Ceremony. So, we've officially attended our very first graduation day for Ava. Don't laugh, these things inevitably pull at your parent heart strings!

It was so cute...they handed out programs and all the kids stood in line and sang a few songs and preformed a little dance. Then one by one they walked up and got their diplomas (and graduation bubbles, of course!) They even had little homemade graduation caps w/ tassels. Ava was happy to see Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Nana & Uncle Tony rooting her on. Nana even took us out to lunch afterward to celebrate.

Hats off Ava, we're very proud of you! We're looking forward to many, many more :)

Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do every T/Th from 9-11:30 until summer camp starts. HA!

Graduation Day 2008

Lots and Lots of Letters

Apparently I started something.

I'm not complaining...
let's just say that I am getting plenty of practice making "letter dots" these days.

Ava is obsessed and wants me to make templates all the time!
Here's her latest round.

(not sure if this will show up or not...maybe if you click on it?)

Cousin Countdown!

Ava is practically counting down the hours till she gets to see her 3 cousins- Colin, Adam & Seth! ONLY 2 more days! She can't wait to see Aunt Kimmie and Mamaw & Papaw too, of course!

She hasn't seen Aunt Kimmie, Uncle Jason and the boys since Thanksgiving...so it's been 6 months. She saw Mamaw & Papaw in March in NY but she is SO excited to see them too! Unfortunately, Uncle Jason can't make the trip this year b/c of a work commitment but we'll miss him.

Here's a cute pic of my adorable nephews! (There will be lots more to come after our trip!)

The Land of Three

We went to Maddie's birthday party on Sunday. The kids had a great time! I took so many cute pictures, it's hard to chose which ones to share. Happy 3rd Birthday Maddie!

Ava and Maddie...
Some of the girls...
Ava & Cami...

Conal cruising...