Our Little Guppie

For some, Labor Day means BBQ's, beer and time with family and friends. For us, that is usually the case. But this year, what Labor Day meant for us was Puppy Swim at the neighborhood pool! Lucy had never been in a body of water larger than the bath tub, so this was a big deal for her and I am proud to say, SHE DID SO GOOD!!!

The neighborhood pool uses the last 2 hours of the season to allow dogs and their family members to go for a swim. We headed over to the pool around 6 pm and were amazed to see how many doggies were taking a dip!


It took a little bit to get her warmed up, but Daddy decided to take the plunge and go in with Lucy. They started out on the steps and slowly made their way into the pool where our little guppie got her water wings going!


Here she is in action:

Now, I'm not sure if she enjoyed it or she was just pushing hard so she wouldn't drown. It was great to see that her instincts kicked in and that if she ever did fall into a body of water, she would know what to do. Here she is swimming the entire length of the pool:

We were so proud of her!!

5 Years??!

Ed and I met 5 years ago this weekend. It's amazing that 5 whole years have gone by. It feels like it was yesterday that we went on that first date, but when I think about it SO much has happened in those 5 years I can't believe we fit it all in!

I had recently moved to NY from DC and was living with my buddy Jim. We had such a great plan - I'd move up and we'd be single gals in the city, living it up one cosmopolitan at a time. Some great plans don't always work out...and this time it was okay because we both ended up finding the loves of our lives within a 3 month period. By the time I moved into the AWESOME apartment in Forest Hills, Queens, Daniel was already in the picture. And within 2 months, I received my first email from Ed via Match.com.

Jim was skeptical about it...after all Ed did live in Wantagh which truly was geographically undesirable, but I took a chance. We emailed for about a week and had a really great conversation the Friday before Labor Day Weekend. I remember laying on my bed while we talked with a HUGE smile on my face. We made a plan to visit the Guggenheim museum the next day and possibly see a movie.

Saturday morning came and so did the hurricane. The weather was awful which meant my cute outfit was replaced with a more rain friendly outfit. Ed took the LIRR from Long Island and I met him on the platform with a tea in hand. I had made a Starbucks run and when I asked him what he wanted, he said "a Tea, light and sweet". What? VA people don't talk like this! I took a chance with skim milk and Splenda and luckily, scored big. :)

We then took the subway in the city and did our best to calm our nerves. The conversation flowed great and I was immediately at ease in his presence. I can honestly say from day 1 that we got along great and truly made each other laugh. We had a great time at the Guggenheim looking at all the fabulous exhibits. Ed even brought his camera to document...I guess he had a good feeling about the date too!


By the time we got out of the museum it was pouring rain so we took shelter under the awning of an apartment building. It was very romantic...very Carrie Bradshaw / SATC. There are many more memories of our first date, but I'm going to save those for Ed and I to cherish. :)

I remember after Ed went home I went into Jim's room and said "I think we will be seeing a lot more of this guy." Turns out I was right.

Baby's First Buffet Concert

Last night I was a lucky girl. My bestie from college, the one and only Beth Belluzzo, treated me to the Jimmy Buffet Concert at Jiffy Lube Live. Can you say Awesome! Hurricane Irene wiped out his original show date last weekend, so he postponed to last night which ended up being a crazy gorgeous evening.

The Belluzzo clan picked me up and we were on our way to Bristow to the new and not so improved Jiffy Lube Live venue. Back in the day, when it was Nissan Pavillion, it was the place to go to see a show. I spent many a night tailgating and listening to the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty, and John Mayer, at this place. It was always a good time...even the 2 hour back-up to get out of the parking lot always turned into a blast.

Well, not anymore.

For "safety reasons" Jiffy Lube Live recently banned all tailgating at their events including the always fun Jimmy Buffet tailgate. When we arrived, we were hoping to see some renegades sneaking their tiki bars and margarita machines, but instead, we saw many a police man and security escorting people out of the parking lot. No Loitering!!! It was a sad site...especially since the Belluzzo family is known to put on quite a party in the parking lot. We made the best of it with our waters, leis and fun sun glasses.


After being booted out of the lot, we made our way into the venue and found that while you could not drink in the parking lot, you could in the venue. So much for safety. And for a mere $13, you can get yourself a beer. WHAT?!!? Talk about outrageous.


P.S. Those weren't for me :) After getting over the initial shock of that news, we made our way to the not-so-crowded lawn and found a perfect spot courtesy of Mr. Belluzzo (Thanks Dad!).


As I mentioned, it was a gorgeous night and the concert was great so we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves - tailgating or not! :) And I can say, not only was it Baby's First Buffet...it was also Baby's First Second Hand Marijuana High! Some old guy about 50 feet away from us was toking all night long...gotta love a Buffet concert!


I had such a great time with my Beth - as always - and feel so lucky to have a friend like her in my life. When we are together we can talk about anything and can laugh so hard that we start crying. Everyone should have a friend like that in their life! Poochie girl - this one is for you!! :)


Where was Ed, you ask? Well, he was up in MD at the Redskins game having a good old time. And guess what. He was allowed to tailgate. :)

I leave you with some tuneage. Again...sorry the videos are jacked up. I thought I fixed it this time! Enjoy!

Phew!

Now that the big news has been revealed, it will be a lot easier sharing all things Mangiaracina via the blog. You have no idea how hard it is to talk about everything when there is really only 1 thing that you want to say!

Since we found out about the little peanut back in June, we have been a mix of emotions. Of course elated is the overwhelming emotion, but a little nervousness has creeped in along with some stress. According to the multiple books I've been devouring, the first weeks of pregnancy are the most critical. Not only is the body adjusting to what is going on, but it is the time when most of the baby's vital organs are being developed. The chance of miscarriage is high so every day I would put my hand on my belly and say "Stay warm baby and be sure to grow big and strong. Mommy and Daddy love you." For whatever reason, it made me feel better.

Now that we have entered the 2nd trimester and have some proof that the little bugger is alive and well (thank you heart rate monitor and sonogram), the stress had gone down a bit, but I'm still making sure to follow all pregnancy "rules". I haven't had a sip of alcohol since peeing on the stick nor have I indulged in a most delicious Potbelly Wreck sandwich. My hair needs a color job BAD and there is not a single can of tuna in our pantry. I have received some amazing advice from some Mommy friends and between them, our fabulous OBGYN team and the plethora of books, I think we are going to make it through this pregnancy with flying colors. :)

And speaking of colors, do you know how stressful it is picking out paint color for a nursery when you and your spouse have differing ideas? Makes morning sickness feel like a piece of cake...but more on that later. ;)

Plus 1 Makes 4!

We have some BIG news that we have been dying to share for the last 13 weeks:


That's right ~ we are officially expecting our first little one!! Our new addition is expected on March 7th and we are absolutely thrilled, even though a certain someone won't be the baby anymore...


... but she seems to be taking the news well. :)

Keeping this secret has been painful, but it's finally time to spread the word and celebrate! We found out in late June and have been just sitting on the information as the baby developed. I'm happy to report that I am officially in my 2nd trimester and all is well with Baby M. We had the joy of hearing the heartbeat last week AND seeing our first images of the baby during a sonogram.


I have been feeling great and am excited for the joys of the 2nd trimester. We do plan to find out the sex in a few weeks and promise to share news when the time comes. In the mean time, get ready for baby planning 101 as we get our house and our psyche ready for an infant!

Hey, Soul Sister

OMG - we went to the BEST concert last night. I have been to many a live show and have never really been disappointed, but last night's Maroon 5\Train show ranks as #1 by far. If they are coming to your town - GO SEE THEM. You will not regret it!

We made the very long trek to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD and arrived just as Gavin DeGraw was finishing his set. Traffic was horrible so we were late, but no harm no foul. Gavin was not the main reason for purchasing the pricey tickets. Merriweather is an indoor/outdoor venue with an expansive lawn section as well as a covered seating area. I splurged and got us seats that turned out to be pretty good.


Maroon 5 started the show and they were 100% energy for the hour and fifteen minutes that they played. That Adam Levine guy is not so bad to look at (dirty hot, if you know what I mean!) and they rocked out all their big hits so it was pretty awesome. Here is a look at their setlist, but my favorite moment in the show was the finale when they played "She Will Be Loved". Adam started out singing with just an acoustic guitar and then in the last verse belted it out with the full band. It was amazing...worth every penny.


But wait...next up was Train! If you know me, you know I am slightly obsessed with "Hey, Soul Sister". Hearing that song live was really one of the main reasons I bought tickets to this concert so I was pretty jazzed when the house lights cut off and the sound of a freight train filled the air.
When the lights came on there was Pat Monahan all dressed up belting out "Parachute". The crowd went wild and pretty much never stopped.


Now Mr. Monahan is a bit of a showman and really got the crowd going during the entire set. From bringing a slew of ladies on stage to dance with him during "She's On Fire" to throwing everything from T-Shirts to guitar picks to autographed beach balls (appeared during "Save Me, San Francisco"), he was all about showing love for his fans. He was even grabbing cameras from the lucky folks in the front row and taking photos of himself with them. Very, very cool.


The set list was great and the performance was amazing. One of my favorite songs of the night was "If It's Love" - not only a great song, but the stage design was great. The lyrics were flashing on the big screen in all different fonts. Oh and during the song "Marry Me", he was roaming the audience and then landed on a guy who then proposed to his girlfriend. SO COOL!


And guess what the finale song way...that's right "HEY, SOUL SISTER"!!! Now, I couldn't just take a photo. I had to tape it so here it is! Sorry that you hear me singing more than the band. I couldn't help myself. :) (I also apologize that the video sound quality sucks and that it is on its side; I couldn't figure out how to rotate it!)

It was an amazing night and totally worth the 2+ hour drive to get there. This was our last concert of the summer so I can say that we went out with a bang. :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

There is nothing better than spending a summer afternoon at the ball park. We hit up National's Stadium yesterday to see the D.C. Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies and it was a game that did not disappoint.


Ed and I bought the tickets for my Dad for his birthday this year. He is a long time Phillies fan so whenever they are in town, we try to see at least one game. Since Grandma B. is here for a visit, Mom Q. relinquished her ticket to good friend Richard ~ another long time Phillies fan.


We headed to 1:35pm game a little early so that we could walk the ball park and take in the sites. There is nothing better than walking into the stadium and seeing the hustle a bustle that takes place. From the parents who are buying programs and team hats for their kids to the vendors who are pushing Bud Lite and peanuts to the groups of men to the President Mascots taking photos with adoring fans (love Teddy!), it is an awesome site to see.


The best part for me is when we find out seats and take that first gaze over the pristine field. The outfield is mowed to perfection and the infield is the most perfectly manicured dirt you'll ever see. I think I love it most because it reminds me of all those Mets games that Dad took us too when we were kids. We always bought a scorecard to keep track of the game and were treated to ice cream in the Mets helmets. I loved going to baseball games then, and I love it now. :)


If you've never been to a Nats game when they are hosting the Phillies, then you are not privy to the somewhat sad site that we saw. The stadium was filled with a sea of red shirts, jerseys and hats. But it was not Nats red. It was Philiadelphia red. I bet 80% of the stadium was filled with Phillies fans which made me so sad. There is nothing worse then hearing the chant "Let's Go Phillies" in Nationals Stadium. I know our boys are still fairly new in town, but c'mon! Where are you Nats fans??!! (Realize I won't be saying this when the Mets come to town.)


I won't bore you with the details of the game...but if you want to read about it click here. What I can tell you is this. The game ended dramatically and it ended in Washington's favor. After an hour and 11 minute rain delay (totally crazy thunderstorm with lightening that scared the bejeezus out of me!), the Nationals were down a run. Then in the bottom of the 9th, with 2 strikes against him, good old Ian Desmond hits a home run to tie the game. That's right Philly fans ~ SIT DOWN!

Side note: One of my favorite parts of the game is when the President Mascots race around the field. It is so fun to watch ~ especially since Teddy has not won a single time. And sadly, his record stands. This game's winner was George!


The game went into extra innings and the Phillies did nothing with their at bat. Then came the Nats. Local hottie Ryan Zimmerman hit a double that was then followed by an intentional walk of Michael Morse. Jayson Werth (former Phillies player who was booed all game by those darn Philly fans) pulled out a single to load the bases with no outs. Espinoza strikes out but then Jonny Gomes strode to the plate. According to the Washington Post, Gomes believes that "the inner half of the plate is his, the outer half of the plate is the pitcher’s. And if a pitch dares come inside and close to your arm or body, well, quite simply, you hang in there." And hang in there he did. The pitch from Phillies reliever Brad Lidge came in hard and hit Gomes on the arm ending the game and earning a BIG win for the Nationals.

Now, of course I felt bad that my Dad's favorite team lost at the game we bought him for his birthday. But it was so nice to see those Philly fans quiet for once. Manager Davey Johnson (one of my personal all-time favorite baseball people) said to reporters "That was fun."

Yes Davey...that was fun!