Bump Pics

Since we found out we were pregnant I knew I wanted to take photos of the growing "bump" I was going to be showing off.

Pintrest is a great website for ideas (duh, me) so I started there.  I don't know if Jessica over at Little Baby Garvin was the first one to combine chalkboard awesomness with bumpin' greatness...but I totally copied her idea when I stumbled upon someone's 'pin' of it on the almighty Pintrest.  So if you could, please head over to her blog (link above) to check out how a truly talented/creative person does the chalkboard thing!  I happened to have already had chalkboard paint up on our kitchen wall so I just bought some chalk and went to town.

I have an app on my phone that lets me know each Monday how big (either length, size, or weight) our little girl is on any given week of my pregnancy. (The app is called 'My Pregnancy') I started posting to Facebook the 'Bumpin It' photos on Week 14.  Whats funny is I always wait until Sunday night to post the photos but the next day I'm given the newest week's update..so the photos are somewhat a week behind from the week I'm actually on. (if that makes any bit of sense...).

So without further ado...here are some bump photos!

So there are some photos!  I always try and take one by myself and then get Rudy in on the action.  She's fully cooperated 10% of the time?  The other time it's a battle to get her to stay somewhat still for the 2.2 seconds it takes for Kevin to take the photo!

I'm heading into Week 34 tomorrow and feeling pretty great!  Sleeping is a bitch and I'm assuming it'll be pretty bad for awhile due to discomfort but HOPEFULLY I'll be able to turn over without my everything hurting.  Thank goodness for body pillows!

The "Big" Reveal!

Around 22 weeks into your pregnancy (for those that are unfamiliar) you are sent to get what's called an 'anatomy scan/ultrasound'.  It's the ultrasound where (if you so choose) you can find out the gender of the baby :)

Everyone always asks: "Do you want a boy or a girl?!" and to be completely, 100% honest both Kevin and I had absolutely no preference what so ever.  For whatever reason, we both thought the baby was a boy but it was purely a hunch.  I didn't care if we found out during the ultrasound the sex of the baby or if we were surprised during the birth.  Kevin was adamant about finding out.  Kev is a very relaxed, go-with-the-flow person so to see him so sure of wanting to find out, I had no problem with it.

So we went to the ultrasound and got to see our baby.  It's always mesmerizing to me when you get to see this little baby up on the screen who IS INSIDE OF YOU!?  It's a surreal experience, truly.  Watching Kev's face during it was also a highlight for me.  He was completely captivated watching every movement of our baby.  Nothing sexier than a man and his baby, fo sho.  We found out the sex of the baby and planned on how to tell our families later that night after having them over for dinner.  I know people have done the food coloring in the cake/cupcake thing but honestly, I'm not a baker & that seemed like way too much effort!  So we (I) decided to get a bunch of balloons (helium filled) and put a black trashbag over top of them.  Then everyone got to pull a balloon out and see the color (pink for a girl, blue for a boy) as the reveal!

After a yummy dinner of grilled pork tenderloin (so good) and delicious side dishes, we moved everyone into the living room for the reason we were all getting together :)

Getting Ready to pull the balloons out!

It's a GIRL!!!!!!

Rudy always enthusiastic!

A girl! A baby girl that I get to put in cute outfits and she can be my best friend and I'm so excited!  Our little girl.  It truly doesn't get better than that!  Our families were all thrilled and loved that they got to keep their balloons as their 'parting gift' :)

I'm sure there was a more crafty way to do the balloon reveal but I thought this way suited us perfectly. Something special but not too much over-thinking that it becomes more about the reveal than anything else.

I can't wait to meet our baby girl!

Next post I'll share my blog inspired photo project.  I'm having so much fun doing it.

Happy Friday & Happy Weekend!

Lotta Changes...Lotta Changes!

Wow, so much time has passed since I last posted!  We had a very busy late fall/early winter and it hasn't seemed to stop in craziness as we've gotten into the full swing of Spring!

In November we went to Disney World for 4 days during the NJ Teacher's Convention.  Kev's family and extended family all went and we had a blast!  We even wore shirts to the Magic Kingdom that said "The Griswolds" (Chevy Chase would have loved them) with our Seinfeld nicknames on the back (a mix of two pop culture references but it worked!) the shirts were all powder blue.  I was so against wearing them but we ended up being the 'hit of Disney' (I'm quoting myself).

Some of our group showing off their Seinfeld nick names.

My Prince and I at Magic Kingdom

In early December, I hosted my (2nd) Annual Crafting Day!  I invite my girlfriends over to craft something holiday themed.  We drink wine, we eat snacks and I serve lunch.  This year we made wine cork Christmas orna (this is the time in our program where I think my necklace is tickling me and when I look down to adjust the necklace a spider is crawling towards me OUT OF MY BRA)  My goodness did I scream, freak Ms. Rudy out. Ugh.  OK.)  Back to Craft Day...so everything was all set! Except one thing was nagging me.  A little thought that I couldn't quiet down no matter how hard I focused on party planning...my period was about 10 days late! Yup.  Me, Ms. Regular-To-The-Hour-On-The-Day was late.  And by more than a week.  So in my last minute shopping for the Crafting Day, I grabbed a pregnancy test.

I should mention I grabbed a pregnancy test from the supermarket that was going out of business in our town and therefore (aside from having cheap bread for paninis) had reduced priced, generic brand pregnancy tests.  So I bought a pack (2 were inside) and got my sourdough bread and headed home.  Now, to be clear, Kevin and I had decided to 'start trying' when we got back from Disney.  (We both were ready to start our family but as my last selfish act as a non-mommy I made my last request to not be pregnant when we went to Disney and thus squashing my chance to ride (basically) any rides.  I'm a ride goer and I would be super upset if I didn't get to go on Space Mountain/Splash Mountain/RockNRoller Coaster/Etc.  So once we were home and it was time (per the app I had on my phone) for me to begin ovulation, Kevin and I decided we wanted to 'officially' begin trying.) I should mention, I had been off of birth control pills since June 2012.  I knew we were starting to think about having a family and I wanted my body to be drug/hormone free for when we did decide it was time to try.  So we did that first cycle after Disney and for whatever reason fate thought "First Times a Charm" and I was pregnant.  

So when I got home from the store, I told Kevin I was going to wait until after Craft Day to take the test.  I'm an awful secret keeper and I didn't think I would be able to keep anything to myself especially with my closest friends around me!  Yeah, I think that idea last 2.2 seconds before I chugged a glass of water and headed for the bathroom.  So when the agonizing time (3 minutes?) elapsed I walked back into the bathroom to read the verdict...it was POSITIVE! POSITIVELY PREGNANT!  I ran over to hug Kevin and although he hugged me back, he goes "I don't trust that test, you got a cheap-o brand".   So although one test (generic/reduced priced) said I was pregnant my science-brained husband decided a few tests should be run before we proclaimed me "knocked up".  So off to the drug store Kevin went and bought TWO more different brands of pregnancy tests.  My friends came over and I sipped a glass of wine casually throughout the day though the level of liquid in my glass never really changed...wonder if anyone noticed? :)

Once the girls left, I headed upstairs to take the 2nd and 3rd tests.  What do you know?  POSITIVE...ALL OF THEM!  Kevin and I hugged again, Rudy came upstairs to investigate all the excitement and we hugged her.  Now to survive the holiday get togethers without anyone noticing me not drinking (this was going to be hard).

Suffice it to say, we survived the holiday party season with minimal notice (though some close friends did question my choice of clear liquid instead of beer/wine).  And once a HORRIBLE first trimester was over (goodbye morning sickness) we announce our upcoming pregnancy.  I decided to announce it to our friends in person, when I saw each friend by showing them our sonogram photos.  To 'announce' it on Facebook/Instagram I posted this photo with the caption "8/12/13":

The 'big sister' got to be part of the announcement <3

By far, the best announcement I got to make was to my Grandparents.  My parents hosted my mom's family for my Grandmom's 86th birthday.  After my Grandmom opened her gift from Kevin and me, I told her I had another present for her and that she was going to be a Great Grandmom.  My Grandmom suffers from dementia and has trouble with comprehension sometimes and finding the words to express herself.  She didn't have trouble understanding or communicating her excitement when I told her the news.  It was by far one of my favorite moments in life (thus far).  She's so excited to meet her Great Grandchild (as is my Grandpop) and it truly is a beacon of light for her in a sometimes shadowy world where things don't seem quite what they used to be for her.

I've written so long about this and I'm only to February 2013 when we announced the big news!  Well I'll be posting next about my blogger inspired pregnancy photo project and the way we revealed the gender of our baby to our family.  So stay tuned!  

Halloweenie

Since Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, this weekend is the unofficial party weekend for those throwing/going to Halloween parties.

Luckily, I married a man who LOVES to dress-up and think of funny/creative costumes.  Since we've been together (6 years, going on 7!) we've only been a couples costume once! (and it was a bit controversial!)

So here's a look at our costumes from some of years together.  

Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction (complete with needle in chest) & Jesus

Michael Vick & his injured dog.  (Hindsight, a little controversial)

So this year I insisted on a couples costume since Kevin actually won't be working at the bar (yay!) and we have not done a couples costume since we've been married...

We had originally decided to be Happy Gilmore (me) and Mr. Larsen (Kevin), he's the tall deep-voiced one time boss of Happy Gilmore whom Happy shoots in the head with a nail gun & Shooter McGavin's golfball lands on... but Kev didn't think that costume would be appropriate for school on Wednesday (Halloween) since the shirt he would be wearing said "Guns don't kill people, I kill people".  Smart move, husband.

Kevin emailed me a photo at work..."What do you think?"  It was the Swedish Chef from the Muppets.  I thought that would be great!  But what would I be?  I know! A Chicken!

Yeah, So I am currently constructing a chicken costume from a 5XL mens white T-Shirt, yellow leggings, and red pumps (Thanks, Mom!).  We will see how well this comes out but honestly, it's all about having fun getting dressed up and enjoying your time with friends!

I'll post photos once the costumes are on and looking good :)

Oh! and Rudy is going to be a chicken too!  The costume lasts about 5.2 seconds on before she starts flipping out! Hah.  

My Halloweenie :)  She LOVES it.

Day Off

I took the day off today after waking up ridiculously late (7:30am) and me and Kevin BOTH needed to hop in the shower.  I was already planning on taking a 1/2 day so I just extended it to a full day.  The plan was to grab lunch and catch up with one of my oldest and dearest friends who recently set her date to be married!  So exciting :)  But unfortunately, both her kids are sick and she can't get away from the sick babies in good conscience.

So, I'm left with an entire day home with Rudy Girl.  Wish I could say I'm planning something exciting to do but I'm just going to clean this house from top to bottom and get as much laundry as possible done.

But first, here's my partner in crime for the day...

My pretty girl :)

Kevin and I had a fairly busy week including eating out of the house THREE days this week (we started to really limit our time going out to eat).  Tuesday we went out to the "G Bar" the lounge portion of the delicious Giumerello's in Haddon Twp.  This restaurant is within walking distance from our house so no need to worry about too many glasses of wine & driving.  We had a yummy meal together to celebrate another one of Kevin's grad school classes finishing.  I am beyond proud of my husband...he has been tirelessly working towards his graduate degree for school administration all the while working full-time as a teacher and a bartender on the weekends.  My boy knows how to hustle. (and he looks cute doing it too).

Wednesday night saw us going on a triple date with two couples.  We went to Melange in Haddonfield -- it is a BYOB which I love because you can bring a big bottle of wine and not worry about being charged $8.00/glass :)  Melange was a Lousiana/Southern Cooking "Fusion" (I despise that term) place.  I had BBQ Shrimp (spicy, salty, yumminess) as an appetizer and then I gobbled up some Shrimp & Cheese Grits (featuring some mushrooms, onions and sun-dried tomatoes).  My dinner was scrumptious!  Kevin had the Jumbalya and said it was amazing.  We even all had dessert (a rare occurrence for me), I had bread pudding w/ a Bourbon glaze - YUM!  A wonderful night spent with friends, it truly doesn't get much better than that.

Thursday was my cousin Shane's senior night for his high school soccer team.  Shane's 2 older brothers are away from home (1 is at school in NY and 1 is living in a hut in NH, yes a hut) so my aunt had sent an email out about this senior night to see if anyone in the family/friends would be up to coming to watch.  Of course my family said yes (Shane is like my youngest brother instead of cousin) and we braved the not so awesome weather to watch Shane be escorted onto the field by one of his teachers and then walk my Aunt & Uncle down the center of the field while Shane's words of thanks were read aloud over the PA system.  It was very nice and I know it meant a lot to Shane and my Aunt & Uncle that we came to show our support.  Kevin and I could only stay for the first half but when we left, Shane's team was up 3-0 and Shane had assisted BEAUTIFULLY on the first goal.  I took lots of photos - tried to get some action shots - it is amazing (and makes me feel old) that he is a SENIOR now!  Where did the time go?

Shane in action on the "Pitch"              //            My Uncle, Shane and my Aunt

So a busy and fun week had here at our humble abode - looking forward to a fun/relaxing weekend.  Hopefully going to see the author Justin Cronin speak on Saturday in Philadelphia :)  Can't wait to start reading "The Twelve"

Podcast Obsessed

I work at a job that requires me to sit at a desk.  It stinks!  Sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day can (sometimes) make the day drag!  About 3-1/2 years ago I stumbles upon something called a Podcast.  iTunes features them right along with music, movies and TV shows.  I started out by listening to the few (free) Ricky Gervais Show podcast episodes that were available.  Unfortunately for me, I was joining up with his show WAY too late (it had ended maybe a year before I started listening) so I only had a few archived episodes to listen to.  What I did gather from listening to Ricky's show was that I was not opposed to listening to people talk while I worked!  In order to quench my thirst for more podcasts to listen to, I started browsing iTunes for ideas.  On the side of every genre page (music, TV, movies) you'll see a top 10.  I took a look at the top 10 podcasts and realized I had to narrow down the genre I wanted to listen to.  I decided to go with the comedy genre since I enjoyed it so much with Ricky Gervais' show.


I found several shows that peaked my interest (including Doug Loves Movies and Comedy Bang Bang (formerly Death Ray)) but one in particular I've listened to religously since I first came upon it -- it's called 'Never Not Funny' (NNF website) and it is hosted by Jimmy Pardo.  He is a comedian out of LA and his style/take on things is so honest and hilarious it's hard not to smile the ENTIRE time you listen to his show.  He's joined by a producer/co-host Matt Bellknap and a rotating 3rd guest (usually an LA based comedian) each episode.  There is also an "intern" Dan Katz and videographer Elliot Hochberg (position originally held by Andrew "AK47" Keonig, RIP).  


This show is just some people sitting around a table talking about whatever comes into their heads.  There's no formula, no predictable segments, or stupid drop-ins.  It's simply, just perfect.  Since season #3 the fist 20 minutes are available for free through iTunes with the entire episode/season being available through a paid subscription.  I've been paying since season 3 and there was absolutely no hesitation on my part to do so.  This show is priceless to me and I gladly pay two times each year when a new season comes out (the seasons are 26 episodes long).


If you happen to stumble upon this post and are willing to give it a try, you won't be disappointed.  Jimmy is an amazing comedian who just talks and "finds the funny" in any situation.  Check it out!


Other mentionable podcasts:

• "Who Charted?" with Howard Kremer and Kulap Vilaysack 
• "Doug Loves Movies" hosted by Doug Benson
• "Rock Solid" hosted by Pat Francis and Gary Lucy (and Matt Bellknap)
• "Comedy Film Nerds" hosted by Graham Elwood and Chris Mancini

4th of July Fun

4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays (there is, without a doubt, a strong correlation between the 4th of July and the fact that my birthday is on the 7th but I digress...)  I love the BBQs, parades and most importantly the fireworks!


This year the 4th fell on a Wednesday.  Pretty much the worst day of the week for a holiday to fall on because most people had to go to work the next day (me included...)  So I decided to get my partying in as early as possible.  What's the best way to do that?  Why, by having a brunch at my house, of course!

Rudy Girl being all patriotic.  So regal, that one.

So I invited over some of our closest friends as well as our immediate families to come have some breakfast cocktails, some light brunch fare and to watch the (weak) parade that passes the bottom of our street.

 Getting the drink station ready.  This is a photo before I put out the Bloody Marys (yum)

 I bought some buntings from the Christmas Tree Shop (only for them to be way too big for our windows) so I put them on the mantle!

 My brother keeping an eye on Rudy for us.

 Cute parade idea..

JKFM

After we had our parade fill (it lasted MAYBE 15 minutes total?) we headed back inside for a visit with our friends and had a couple more cocktails before proclaiming the brunch a success.

Our next stop was my Uncle Bill and Aunt Chris' house for a Pool Party/Birthday Party for my Grandpop.  We have one every year around this time for his birthday (late June) and this year they decided to hold it on the 4th.  It was a blast hanging out with my family in the pool (very hot day).  We laughed, drank, ate and took fun photos with each other.

A great time was had by all!  I did keep reminding my dear husband that I HAD to see fireworks before the night was through.  Luckily I married the best guy ever who threw caution to the wind and SPED home in order to catch our neighboring town's fireworks display.  We missed probably about 10 minutes of the 40 minute display but it was great!  We pulled over and parked the car and then laid a towel down on the grass and watched the fireworks together.  Quite magical if you ask me.  After the fireworks were over, we headed home and went to bed after a busy but very fun day!

Didn't get very many photos of the fireworks -- but they were gorgeous!