O-HI-O!

Our trip up north was fantastic - it was great to spend quality time with family and friends and not feel rushed when visiting, which is usually not the case when we are in town.  We spent the first part of the trip with the hubby's fam and some very chilly temps (uh, I wanted to experience fall weather, not WINTER!), but it was nice to cozy up by the fire at his brother's house with the kiddos.  Instead of making a trip to the apple farm with the kids on Friday, we spent the day at Chuck E. Cheese - oh, to be a kid again!  I still act like a kid I suppose - not wanting to share my tokens and trying to get as many tickets as I could playing Skee Ball! 

Us with the munchkins after eating some lunch!

After our morning of fun, we headed home to take a nap (including me!) and then had a dance party to Hannah Montana (who is also known as Miley Cyrus I think?) and played countless board games (very impressed with my niece who tied me in Memory!), hide and seek, etc.  I love being around these two sweethearts ~ who are growing up way too fast!  They both love their Uncle and it was so cute to see him with them....which makes me realize even more how wonderful of a father he will be!

 

The whole clan together by the fireplace :)

After our visit with the fam, we headed to T-burg to visit with some of our best friends, Susie and Al, and their sweet little boy, Sam.  After spending all morning playing with Sam, the second I handed him to Uncle Roz, he literally passed out!  Again, more practice for Dad! :)

One of our final stops in the Cleve was to see our friends Candie & Bryan and meet their new addition, Jake.  He was such a good little guy and slept the whole time we were there visiting (the length of the entire crappy Browns game, if you can call it a game!). 

Hubby left early Monday morning and I then headed to part #2 of my trip - good ol' Poland!  Suz came in to spend a majority of the week at her parents', as well as another amazing friend of mine from high school, Janelle, was in with her two kiddos.  I was able to spend a week surrounded by loved ones, perfect fall weather (yes, it did cooperate eventually), and food from all of my favorite hometown restaurants!  Being around all these babies made me even more excited than I already am (if that is possible!) to meet our little girl, who already has an entire clan ready to meet her!  Speaking of the babe, Janelle introduced me to outlet shopping for kids....between gifts and my purchases (which took up half my suitcase on the way back and required me to leave some of my own clothes behind!), this little girl already has an entire wardrobe!  Thank you to everyone for all the thoughtful gifts....I know she will love them as much as I do! 

As happy as I am to be back home with the hubby and my pups, I miss everyone up north.  I am grateful for the time I did get to spend with my loved ones and look forward to our next visit in January, which will be here before I know it!

IT'S A.....

Well I managed to make it through the appointment without peeing on the exam table (barely though!) and finally had to ask if I could get up and go to the bathroom even though the technician wasn't done with the measurements yet.  Luckily the little one decided to flip over (good job baby!) and so she let me up for a few minutes.....then I felt much more comfortable the rest of the time :)  Happy mommy, happy baby! :)

After what felt like eons of her pushing on my stomach and trying to get all the information she needed on the baby, she finally asked if we wanted to know the sex - YES!  Please tell us already!!! 

Baby Roz is made of sugar and spice and all things nice....it's a GIRL!! 

We couldn't be more excited to have a little daughter in our life to love and cherish!  Now of course Dad is already concerned about what sports she will play and how she won't be dressed in minature versions of a firefighter uniform, but I know how excited he is....and the moment this little girl enters the world, he will be wrapped around her tiny finger.  I vividly remember my childhood and the wonderful relationship I had with my Dad....that bond has grown and blossomed over the years and we are so close even though many miles separate us (hopefully not for much longer - hint, hint Dad!).  He has been a mentor, friend, confidant, and has always been my #1 fan, whether I was last place in the swim meet or first place in the 4x200 relay.  I know hubby will be the same way....and he has two men to learn from, his father and older brother. 

So now that the boy trend has been broken....bring on the pink dresses, frilly bathing suits (I know, no bikinis dear!), and bows in the hair! 

Here's to floating away....

Geez, who the heck asks a pregnant lady to drink four 8 oz glasses of water an HOUR before an appointment and then tells them they can't go to the bathroom!?  This is some serious work people - whoever said being pregnant was easy?  I know it will all be worth it when we are (hopefully) able to get a good shot of little Roz today and determine if it's a boy or girl!  Till then, I'm counting down the minutes until I can go to the bathroom!

Oh, here is a photo from last night too - 18 weeks (sweet potatoe) - I, however, did not have time to stop at the store to buy the vegetable of the week nor do I like sweet potatoes, so nothing to hold :(

Update to follow after the appointment....thanks for all your sweet e-mails, text messages, phone calls, etc.!!

Anxious....

for TWO reasons:

1.)  Our appointment on Tuesday...it is all I have been thinking about for the past week (if not longer)!  I was fine with waiting to find out the sex till the day baby Roz arrived, but since Steve said he wanted to find out and I said OK, it has been on my mind constantly.  Not that it will make a difference either way because this little boy or girl will be loved, cuddled, cherished and spoiled regardless of the sex, but it brings a whole new dimension to preparing for the arrival of that little bundle!!  I know Dad Z is bummed we decided to find out and he said he doesn't want to know, so Dad, if you're reading this, you can no longer look at the blog until after the baby arrives....you will be the only one in the dark until March 2010!  Hope we can all keep it a secret from you!  Ha ha!!

2.)  To head back to OH-IO for 11 days!!  That is 11 days away from work, the heat and humidity (it is unseasonably warm right now), and day to day responsibilites....and 11 days of time spent with family and friends that I never get to spend enough time with because of the miles between us.  I know the time will fly by in a blur as it always does, but I am just glad that there are no holidays or major events that we are flying up for, which means I get to do what I want, when I want with whomever I want!  The highlights are getting to see my favorite niece and nephew, meeting some new additions (two Jakes!), and making umpteen trips to every apple orchard/pumpkin patch in Northeast OH with the above mentioned kiddos!  If you can't tell, I'm a little excited about the FALL weather and hope to bring some of it back with me!  Hubster can actually make the trip too now that he is done with school....yeah!! :) 

In keeping with the holiday spirit, here are the pups ready for Halloween! (Excuse the state of the dog bed, Tripp thinks it's more fun to chew on that than his toys apparently.)

Aren't we just the cutest bumble bee and ladybug you've ever seen?

I know it may seem like torture to dress your pets up, but these two go absolutely crazy when I pull their costumes out of the closet...and they were surprisingly good for the "photo shoot!"

Orangacado....

So I'm a little behind on my belly pics and skipped right over week 15 (orange) - where did that week go?! -but managed to get a picture in week 16 (avacado)!  Baby Roz is doing great and is still trying to make up his/her mind about whether or not to make a permanent appearance right now!  My work pants are starting to feel a little more snug, but I have managed to get away with not wearing anything from the maternity department at this point, although I'm not sure how much longer that will last!  I just feel like I'm in that in-between stage right now - not comfortable in my normal clothes, but not big enough to wear anything "maternity" because everything is too big and baggy.  Just waiting for that day when I open my closet and end up on the floor crying because nothing fits!! :(

We had our monthly visit last Thursday and everything is right on track, the baby's heart beat is very strong and loud (Steve said it reminds him of Tripp's after he does race track laps around the house - lovely how our baby is being compared to the dog!), and we discussed the dreaded topic of the flu season and the H1N1 vaccine that is now out in some states.  To get the shot or not to get the shot is the question?  It really freaks me out when there is so little research or testing done and they highly recommend that pregnant women be the first to get the vaccine.  I think if anything, I will wait a couple weeks to see how those that do get it are affected....but will get my regular flu shot tomorrow morning (the first time in many, many years!).  I figure it is probably a good idea since I will be flying next week...better safe than sorry!


Besides celebrating our anniversary last month, we also celebrated hubby's 33rd birthday!  I managed to pull off a surprise get-together at our fave tiki bar without him finding out.  It was great to celebrate with so many friends and enjoy a night out listening to our friends' band, catching up, and of course throwing back a few drinks (or water in my case!). 

Happy birthday to the dad-to-be!! We love you :)