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 The Dr told him it was a really bad tear that was retracted and that the surgery couldn't wait.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.