Sunday, June 29, 2008

Baby boy's first official concert


So Friday afternoon before we left for Michael & Maria's wedding, I was checking my email and had a message from the Dave Matthews Band listserve. I noticed that he was in Hershey that night and it brought back memories from the three times I went to his show at Hersheypark Stadium. Those were some good times.

I then saw that he was going to be in Virginia the next night, and commented to Ben how I'd love to go to the show, but didn't think anyone would be able to join me on such late notice. And I didn't think I'd be able to get tickets since it was a sold out show. That's when Ben told me that EB was still trying to sell his 2 tickets. At that point I was determined to go! Since he was going to be tied up at his annual golf outing with the guys, I sent an email out to Molly, Missy and Heather to see if anyone was interested and available to be my date to the concert. I think Mol was working this weekend because I haven't heard from her, and Heather is crazy and responded she doesn't like DMB, but amazingly Missy was free and was up for going with me!

We drove out last night around 5 and got there by 6, parked by 6:45 and had some dinner before going into the pavillion to our seats. We had such good seats!! Front and center right above the really expensive seats that were tables with waitresses all night. We had a clear view of the stage and got to see Dave doing his signature dance move. It was such a good show and I commented to Missy how it'll be like our parents talking about the Beatles when we tell our kids about how we loved DMB. I think baby boy enjoyed the show ~ he danced to almost all the songs! And I wasn't the only pregnant lady at the concert ~ we saw two others who were definitely pregnant, and one other who maybe was. :)

The only thing that sucked was getting out of the parking lot. Took us about an hour and a half, even though we left before the encore to try to beat the crowds. That and the fact that you weren't supposed to bring cameras in, so I don't have any pics. Otherwise we had a great time!!

¡Felicitaciones Michael & Maria!

This past Friday night we attended the wedding of Michael Davidson (Ben's good friend from high school) and Maria Mendez. It was a beautiful ceremony and festive reception at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington. Michael was a handsome groom and Maria a stunning bride. We had a great time! At the end of the reception we sent them off in a tunnel of sparklers. Congratulations to Mike & Maria ~ enjoy your 2-week honeymoon in Greece!!!








Sunday, June 22, 2008

Daddy starts painting the nursery...

After a little debate over whether to go with green or blue, I caved and let Ben paint the nursery his favorite color - blue.

He wouldn't let me help because of the fumes, but I popped in a few times to get some pics.


Tish gave us this adorable framed fish picture for Father's Day which we're going to hang in the nursery.
Our furniture is in, so as soon as we're done with the walls, we'll get it delivered and will put the finishing touches on it. Hopefully we'll be done by the middle of July!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

27-week belly pic - HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!!!

I can't believe that we are officially entering the third trimester. Time has been going by so fast.

Today my belly felt as if it would not be able to stretch any further. It's hard to believe it will grow for another 13 weeks. Oh my.



Please let me go a little early. Please.

Key West Babymoon

This past weekend Ben and I went on a babymoon (official Wiki definition: a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby). We decided to make it a "Double Babymoon" by inviting our friends Andrea and Troy to join us. We were thrilled when they said yes!



(To view all of our babymoon pics, copy and paste this link into a new browser window: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EcNWTJs5bM1Y)

Troy and Andrea picked us up on Friday morning at my parent's house, and after quick stops at Walgreen's for sunscreen and Starbucks for coffee (decaf for me, and Andrea skipped the coffee and opted for Yoohoo! instead), we were off! It took us longer than usual because of all the pregnant lady stops, but we eventually made it and checked into the bed and breakfast where we had reserved a suite.

We got into our swimsuits and hit the beach where we jumped right in upon arrival. We relaxed on the beach for a few hours before heading back to the B&B for happy hour and snacks! The lagoon pool was the perfect spot to hang out and eat our Combos. Then we got ready and headed out to Mallory Square for the evening entertainment. It was very fun to watch the sunset while sipping virgin pina coladas and watching the husbands get pulled into the performer's shows. They had fun too. :)

We hit up the A&B Lobster house for dinner. We feasted on amazing seafood. Then walked home. It was a long walk. I definitely had cankles and swollen toes by the time we got back to the B&B. So Andrea and I soaked our tootsies in the cool water of the lagoon pool. Ahhhh....the joys of pregnancy!

We woke up early Saturday morning to go on our snorkling adventure. The innkeeper put out breakfast early for us since we had to be at the boat at 9am. We speed-walked to the pier and made it to the boat in time. We had a wonderful time snorkling. I swear I saw a shark. Troy informed me that it was a tarpon (not sure if I'm spelling this right). It really does look like a shark when you're looking 25 feet down and the water is a little cloudy!

It rained on the way back into Key West, but we grabbed lunch at a local market and by the time we were done it was over. We went back to the B&B and watched some golf and rested. Then it was back out on the town. It was Pride Weekend and we didn't want to miss the parade! We had appetizers at Sloppy Joe's and listened to the music, then headed over to see the parade. Ben got lots of beads - the gay men loved him. It was lots of fun. We had a relaxing dinner at Fogerty's and then got some ice cream for the walk back to the B&B. My feet were so swollen by the time we got home. I can't imagine what they're going to look like in a few months. Oh jeez.

The weekend was so much fun! On Sunday we drove home to celebrate Father's Day with a cookout at our place. Troy & Andrea, Tony & Dotty, Tony's parents, Leslie & Suzie, and Mike & Lindsey came over for dinner and the US Open. A fun time was had by all.

Mike & Lindsey and Mom and Dad spoiled baby boy with some new clothes. He is certainly going to be a well-dressed little one. I can't wait!

I wish I could say our flight home was uneventful, but it wasn't. We took off from Ft Lauderdale on time, but had to circle for an hour when we approached DC because of bad thunderstorms. They had to fly us to Charlotte since Richmond was full. After an hour on the ground to re-fuel, we finally got back into the air and landed in DC at 9:15pm. It was a long day of travel.

It's good to be home. I want to send a special "Thank You" out to Curt & Tish and Kelly for stopping by our house to feed and play with Riley while we were gone. He is especially grateful for not having to be cooped up in a cage for 5 days.

Another special "Thank You" to my mom for doing some sewing magic on the maternity capris and shorts I bought early on to make them fit me now. She continues to amaze me with her sewing abilities. :)

Monday, June 9, 2008

100 days left

Today our ticker changed to read "100 days to go" until baby boy's scheduled arrival. I can't believe it. The time has been going by so fast. I've been feeling really good lately. Even though these past 3 days have been hotter than South Florida (97, 98, 100 degrees), I've been enjoying the summer so far.

On Saturday we had a neighborhood yard sale and I made $49. I proudly told Ben it was all going to be spent maternity clothes. Then I went to the pool and lounged around reading magazines and baby books. During the adult swim times, I jumped into the lap lane and did the side stroke and head-above-water breast stroke, which believe it or not - actually was a really good workout!

Doula Molly called me on Saturday to tell me to "promptly get out of the sun because you might get dehydrated which could lead to pre-term labor!" I followed Doula's orders and spent the rest of Saturday inside with air conditioning and ice cream.

Then on Sunday after church I hit the mall for my maternity spending spree. I actually spent a little more than the $49 profit, but hey, I need some summer clothes that fit this growing belly! Then it was off to the pool again to get some exercise. Don't worry, I drank plenty of water. I am getting very used to keeping track of my water intake with the handy plastic water bottle I recently purchased to use at work. I think it's practice for the monitoring I'm going to be doing of the baby's daily milk intake. :)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

25-week belly pic



I am officially HUGE. (I made this pic big for emphasis.) But at least I know why. One of the pregnancy websites I was on said that at 24 weeks, my uterus is about the size of a soccer ball. No wonder it looks like I've been smuggling one under my clothes lately!!! Baby boy has been kicking up a storm lately. I never get tired of it - it truly is amazing that there is a baby growing in my belly. He is active first thing in the morning when the alarm clock goes off, throughout the day, and then again at night before I fall asleep. I'm beginning to wonder if he ever sleeps! This could be a preview of things to come. Oh geez.

On another note, I started my new job this week. I'm really enjoying getting back into creative staffing. So far, so good.

We're looking forward to our last vacation as a couple before baby boy comes into the world. A week from tomorrow we leave for FL, and will have a day with my parents before hitting the road to Key West with friends of ours - Troy and Andrea - who are also expecting their first! It's a babymoon for two! Well, six to be exact. :) I can't wait to lay out on the beach (yes, like a beached whale), reading books and magazines until I fall asleep. Then on Sunday we'll all drive back to Weston for Father's day with our families. Can't wait!!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Congratulations to our friends!

We had an amazing weekend with our good friends. It was the much-anticipated wedding weekend of Luke & Erin so Friday night began with the rehearsal followed by the rehearsal dinner at 2941 Restaurant which was incredible.





After the rehearsal dinner, we picked up Tim and Andrea from Reagan - they had flown in from Houston for the wedding and were staying with us on Friday night. Driving to our house, Ben and I suggested we stop at Clyde's for a drink to catch up. Tim's response said it all: "Well, it would only be Ben and I drinking, so we don't need to go out." We were so surprised! They are due exactly 3 months after us on December 18th!

So we spent the rest of the night at our house discussing baby stuff and how we're all so excited to be expecting at the same time.

Saturday morning we lounged around until Ben had to leave to meet the guys at the hotel to get ready. Tim dropped him off while Andrea and I got ready. The skies opened up at that point and it was pouring rain for a few hours. But they say it's good luck when it rains on your wedding day. :)

Erin was a gorgeous bride in an ivory lace strapless gown with beading detail at the waist. And Luke was a very handsome groom. Together they make a stunning couple and we are so happy to finally see them tie the knot. The reception was so much fun! The room was decorated so beautifully in Tiffany blue and silver. We danced the night away until 11:30pm and then it was off to the after-party until the wee hours of the morning.

It was a super fun weekend and we had the best time celebrating with our friends.