Party, Party, Party

We've come to the end of yet another weekend but Peter is off tomorrow so it feels as though we can enjoy the weekend for one more day. Yay!

Saturday friends of ours came to visit from New York. We went to TGI Fridays for lunch. The food was awesome, the company was even better (we love you Ted and Becca!) and Carina was pretty well-behaved. We came home and hung out a bit more. Once our company headed to their hosts' home for the evening we took a walk around the mall. I didn't intend to buy anything but I ended up with a few things for work. I tried to use a coupon at Gymboree on something for Carina but even with the 20% off I couldn't justify spending more on baby clothes than I do on my own. Ridiculous. Carina gets mostly 2nd hand anyway - it just makes more sense for baby clothes she stains up and grows out of so quickly. Plus my fave consignment shop has the cutest and best clothes ever!

Enough about shopping. Today we went to Sunday school and then came home and had lunch with Ted and Becca before they headed home. After lunch we headed my parents' way for a graduation party for my cousin Shawn. We got to hang out with family, pass the baby around and eat some good food. Plus we took some 5 generation photos that I'm pretty proud of. Carina is so fortunate to have so many grandparents, great-grandparents and even a great-great-grandma. Not many people can say that.

So now we're home and Carina is hanging out with Daddy. Asleep? Yes - Daddy says for the moment she's asleep on the couch. It was so sticky out today she'll be getting a bath tonight. Can't wait to enjoy another day at home as a family tomorrow!

Grillin'!

What a great weekend and it's not even over yet! Yesterday we started the day by going grocery shopping. Carina slept, we shopped. After we got home I made a chocolate cheesecake. I've always wanted to make one but don't own a springform pan. Luckily it came up in conversation with my neighbor and she said I was welcome to borrow her pan anytime. So - yay for chocolate cheesecake! Now I just need to pack some up to share with our neighbors as a thank you.

Yesterday afternoon we babysat our friends' 7 month old daughter. What an experience! Gave us an idea of what we have to look forward to. After both girls fell asleep - Peter and I did too for a few minutes. Kids are hard work!

Once we were back down to only one baby in the house, Peter fired up the grill and I prepped some kabobs. Steak, potato and tomato ranch kabobs - yum! Throw in some corn on the cob and we had ourselves a very nice summer meal. Peter did great on the grill too! We took turns carrying Carina in my baby wearer. A little girly but it looks good on Peter :)

Carina has been up once overnight for the past 2 nights so we haven't exactly had the full night's sleep we were getting those few days last week but we're still getting plenty of rest. Everybody keeps telling us that we are VERY lucky to have a breastfed baby sleeping as well as she does. What can we say - she's perfect!

We Love the Weekends!

Carina and I had a very good week together. It helped that we had Peter home on Monday so really it was only 4 days alone together. We're figuring each other out and I'm loving it. I can't believe she will be one month old this week!

So far we have had a wonderful weekend. After dinner Friday I ran to the grocery store alone. I always enjoy doing the shopping together with Peter but I didn't want to mess up Carina's schedule and I think Peter wanted some Daddy time with her anyway. So in the end - mission accomplished.

Yesterday we made a family trip to the mall where I got some nursing bras, some summer tops and an iced mocha. Heaven. We got so much attention from people - everybody loves a baby! And who couldn't love our sweet little thing?

I pumped for the first time yesterday. It went better than I thought - not as complicated as I had imagined. I think I can do this when I go back to work! Peter was a great help with cleaning all the parts for me (probably the worst part of the whole deal).

We went to Target to return a duplicate gift and came out with some sippy cups! I don't know why but I just love sippy cups and love the thought of Carina learning to use one down the road. The ones we bough are TOO cute. We ran to Babies R Us to return another duplicate gift and bought a HUGE box of wipes. We ran into a woman from our birthing class too with her little girl - only 9 days old!

Because I had pumped earlier in the day, Peter got his first chance to bottle feed Carina. It was a little complicated for everybody and Carina wasn't exactly thrilled with it but she drank 3 ounces and slept really well so I guess everybody survived. Last night she actually slept for 2 five hour stretches and it was so nice. I love it when she sleeps well.

Speaking of... she's napping right now. Peter is teaching Sunday school by himself and returning all the pans and such friends delivered dinners in. We have been fed so incredibly well these past 3 weeks. We are truly blessed.

Looks to be another great day! Oh - and one more piece of exciting news. Carina has managed to find her own thumb twice now. I think we have a thumb sucker on our hands, haha.

New Outlook

And a new layout to match. Mom said I've had the other background for too long so... ta da! A new background for the blog. Enjoy!

What's new? The days are still running together a bit for me. Sunday Peter's parents visited on their way home from Baltimore. My mom came to spend a few days helping with Carina once Peter returned to work.

Yesterday Peter went back to work (very reluctantly). Carina and I really missed him. After Carina's morning feeding I went to the post office and Walmart while mom babysat. Carina slept the entire time I was gone. It was nice to get out of the house again and the weather was spectacular. I bought a darker/thicker curtain for the nursery so it's darker and more conducive to sleep in there. I couldn't resist buying little tights and a summer dress for Carina.

Last night Carina slept for 5 straight hours before I woke her up to feed her. Then she slept for another 3. It was a good night! She's been awake a little more than usual so far today so maybe she will sleep well again tonight.

After my shower and Carina's feeding this morning I ran to the grocery store and then to Cornerstone for a coffee. A great trip! Carina was pretty fussy while I was gone but mom did a good job hanging out with her. In non-baby related news, I'm wearing my skinny jeans today. It's nice to have clothing to wear other than maternity clothes.

That's the latest. We're all doing well and figuring things out. Tomorrow is my first day completely on my own with Carina so we'll see what happens!

Life is Good

...but not much to write about. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the nice, slow boring patch we've hit here lately but I can imagine it makes for less-than-thrilling reading.

Friday I took a personal day. I wanted a day to clean the house, my boss was going to be out and I was all caught up on my work. It's a good thing I cleaned the house Thursday night because I had a headache Friday that kept me in bed more than I had planned. It was pretty nice - aside from the headache. I got my hair cut in the afternoon and Peter and I had Pizza Hut for dinner. A successful day.

Saturday we slept in and then went grocery shopping. After lunch I cleaned out our coat closet (too small a space and too much stuff crammed in it). Some of it was moved to the laundry room and then the rest we ran to Salvation Army. We stopped by the library and I came across "Diary of a Mad Mom-To-Be". Considering I found "Diary of a Mad Bride" so amusing (and at times a little familiar) while planning our wedding, I knew I had to read this sequel.

After the library we ran to Old Navy to find me some comfy pants. I have one pair of pajama pants I wear all night every night as soon as I'm home from work so I bought another pair in lime green (my current pair is hot pink). I found a wonderful pair of yoga pants too. However, mom will need to hem both pairs before I wear them... and she's in Punta Cana for the week so I guess I'll just have to wait.

Sunday we taught Sunday school and went to church. I was craving coffee so I grabbed a cup of decaf (3 french vanilla creamers) and it was so, so good. I don't know what they do to our church coffee but it is always awesome. We grabbed a Wendy's lunch and then we put drawer liners in the dresser in the nursery. It just looks a little more finished and feminine (the liners are a blue/green floral-type design). Peter's parents visited on their way home to Rochester from Baltimore. His mom made us an adorable blanket and a little knit outfit. We love baby gifts. Later I fell asleep during the Oscars (sorry Hugh).

Tonight I made donuts after work for Fat Tuesday tomorrow. I already know that Pumpkin likes them - she's been kicking like crazy since I ate one! Life is so very good.

PS - I realize I wrote about Pizza Hut, coffee, Wendy's and donuts in one entry but I promise that Pumpkin is getting lots of healthy cereal and fruit juice and salad too.

February already?

Where did January go? Not that I mind. It just makes us one month closer to spring and one month closer to meeting our little Pumpkin.

Last Friday I made pink cupcakes to share at work as a way to spread our news. It must have gone over well because I had to steal one of my own cupcakes in order to take any home!

Sunday we met up with my parents at my Gram's to celebrate Christmas with Dad's side of the family. We had a good meal and a nice visit.

We had a pretty laid back week. I tried a few new recipes; chicken rice wraps and sloppy joes. I know sloppy joes aren't exactly a new concept but I don't think I've ever actually made them on my own. They turned out pretty well!

Yesterday I made cookies for the Superbowl party we are attending today. I opted for Valentine's cookies as opposed to football cookies. Much cuter. I'm going to make up some sausage balls once I get done writing this entry. Last night we went to Texas Roadhouse with our neighbors. Afterward the boys played Guitar Hero while the ladies caught up on chit chat and then we all watched "The Rocker". A very nice evening.

We taught Sunday school this morning then went to church. I got Alexandra plopped in my arms for a few minutes. I can't wait to hold my own in a few months! After church we went with Chris, Michelle and Alexandra to a baby consignment shop that was having awesome sales. We ended up with 9 outfits for just $22. It was so much fun! I think my favorite is the bright orange t-shirt and skirt that say "I love summer".

It's a...

... healthy, squirmy baby GIRL!

We started the day on separate teams but now I'm a new recruit to team pink, haha. We are thrilled. We were just amazed at how much of her we got to see. She likes to flex and spread her fingers (our u/s techs told us normally babies like to clench their fists so to see all her fingers was unusual). She yawns a lot and it's just so, so cute. She likes to stretch but she doesn't roll. The techs couldn't get a good view of her spine because she stayed in one position the entire time. She's also currently breech but I guess that's nothing to worry about.

We may get to see her again if the Dr. orders a 2nd u/s to get a better look at her spine. Hopefully she'll cooperate a little better.

My Mom was here for the u/s and that was really nice. Afterward we went to Cracker Barrel for brunch and then did a little shopping for pink! Enjoy the pictures.

It's COLD!

Just a little update. Not much to report. Friday we had dinner at church with all the other Sunday school teachers. It was a lovely meal and the cat is definitely out of the bag regarding Pumpkin. Surprisingly a lot of the other teachers seemed...well... surprised, haha. Our news has been public for quite some time but Peter and I have always felt a bit awkward just randomly announcing the pregnancy without a good "So what's new and exciting?" or "So are you guys next to have a baby?" lead in. Just our style I guess.

Saturday we slept in! Peter helped me clean the house a bit and then we did a bunch of shopping. Peter needed new shoes and pants and the cats have exhausted our scratch pad supply so we bought a few replacements. Sunday we taught Sunday school, got groceries then went to my niece Stevie's 12th birthday party. Good times.

Peter had off yesterday and I took a sick day to recover from a headache. It was tough going back to work today but we had a luncheon at one of my co-worker's houses so that provided a nice meal, a nice break and a chance to watch President Obama's speech! I taped it and may just watch it again tonight.

So 2 more days till the big u/s. Peter and I think of little else. I'll post my 19 week bare belly pic below for kicks.

Oh... and Happy Birthday Mom!

Merry Christmas!

It's been an absolutely lovely week. Last Saturday Peter and I spent the morning in our old stomping ground, Camp Hill (I miss that place). We visited an antique shop, grabbed coffee and hot chocolate at Cornerstone Coffee House and then went to Creative Elegance (a boutique my aunt had given us a gift certificate for). We bought scone mix, jam and a few things for the baby (the alligator has a pouch for a little ice pack, the dog is sitting on top of a little blanket trimmed in satin and the elephant rattles!) Later that evening my parents and nieces came for dinner and we all had a great time.

Yesterday we spent the day at my parents'. Half the family stopped by during the day and we saw most of the rest of the family at my Pop-pop's later in the evening so that was really nice. We had great food - ham, mac & cheese, sweet potato casserole, baked pineapple and veggies. Plus tons and tons of sweets. I gave away another 9 dozen cookies (I think that makes 29 dozen total so far and I'm not done!)

So we made out really well, haha. Actually, so did Pumpkin. As you can see, Pumpkin has his/her own section of the overall gift pile. I loved getting baby-related gifts. My favorites were probably the Willow tree figure from my parents and the blanket my great-grandmother made. And of course Peter and I love the Spamlet onesie I gave him.

I hope you had a satisfying and meaningful Christmas as well!

What we've been up to...

We need to stop waiting for something big and interesting to happen before we write another blog entry. Life has settled into a nice predictability and we're not complaining.

What happened last week? Peter managed the cat shelter by himself Monday because Amy wasn't feeling well.

Tuesday Amy had devotions at work and was scheduled to bring in snack for break too. After all the baking for the housewarming - she phoned in snack with some help from Weis *hangs head in shame*. Peter went out with the boys for the evening to play manly games at Messiah.

Wednesday we were going to take Panera to Messiah for a picnic but it rained so we picniced on the living room floor, then went shopping for new swim trunks for Peter. Nobody has swimwear any more! Stores are preparing for back to school already. We found a sweet suit (that was not an XXL) for only $9 at Aero. Amy was thrilled.

Thursday we bought a flower box, soil and miracle grow to plant some flowers we received at the housewarming. They look awesome on the front porch. We bought some beach supplies at Target too (and a new clutch purse for Amy - it was necessary).

Saturday we hung out with our small group (after sleeping till noon!). The boys hit the driving range and the ladies picked up "21" and "No Reservations". We ate pizza and watched "21". Peter and I watched NR later. Both ok movies - not particularly excellent but worth seeing.

Sunday we taught Sunday school, went to church, then headed to Chris and Michelle's to help paint the nursery. It took a little longer than expected but it turned out really nice. I believe the color is called "Nectarine Fizz".

This week Amy had a workshop at Roxbury camp Monday and Tuesday. She felt fine each day but was sick each night so yesterday we went to the Dr. It seems to be a bug and not food poisoning and last night was pleasantly uneventful so we're assuming she's on the mend. We don't need to bring a bug on vacation! Peter got a haircut and Amy got a pedicure last night. We're almost ready for vacation. More packing tonight and we're ready to go!