Pure Bliss

I'm not sure there is a sweeter sound out there then the heart beat of your unborn child. Ed and I had an OB appointment this morning and had the chance to hear our baby and I am happy to report that all is well. The heart beat is strong which is music to my ears. :)

I'm a day shy of 16 weeks and I have to say, I'm feeling great. My first trimester symptoms are almost completely gone and I am in what they call the "honeymoon" phase of the pregnancy. Luckily, I have not gained much weight (only 1 pound so far!) but my belly is starting to show signs of the peanut inside. I am exclusively in maternity pants ~ which by the way are SO much more comfortable ~ and am looking forward to the next few weeks of baby growth.

Next month is a big month for us. On October 21st we will have our 20 week sonogram where the technician will do all sorts of measuring to make sure the baby's growth is on track. But even more exciting...we will be able to find out the sex!! We are those people that need to know so once we know, you will know. :)

In the mean time, we will continue to look at nursery furniture and planning out the room. It's unbelievable how many cribs there are out there! We did find the glider we want along with eh dresser/changing table so as soon as we finalize our crib decision, the order will be placed. The closet is in good shape so I will share details on it very soon as well as the paint wars that are currently taking place between Ed and I. :)

MIA...But for Good Reason

I figured it was time to come out of the figurative hole I've been hiding in and say hello to everyone since I've been a bit MIA these past few days. I do have a reason...maybe not a good one, but it is a reason!

I'm up in New York for my monthly work trip and this has been a long one. It started last Friday night when Ed, Lucy and I piled into the car and drove up to Long Island for a weekend visit with the family. We spent Saturday out in the Hamptons at Aunt Connie's and Uncle Tony's fabulous place and got to spend quality time with the whole family. It's always nice to see everyone and catch up ~ especially since now a days, we really only get to see them once or twice a year on holidays. It was a fun day...made even more fun by having both Lucy and Marty (Joe's black lab) with us.


On Sunday, while Ed and Joe spent some time cleaning out the basement at Mom's house, I had the pleasure of spending time with my best bud, Alyson. Alyson and I go way back...so far back that we met when our Moms were pregnant with us. We stayed friends through the years and really become very close when I moved back to New York in 2006. She is one of those friends that you can always count on in both the good and the bad. We have been through a lot and I have to say, I love her as if she were my sister. :)

But I digress...I made the trip out to see her, her loving husband Rob and her adorable son Mikey. We spent time catching up and talking about all things baby. As an experienced Mom, she shared many tips of the trade which was greatly appreciated. And not only is she experienced, but she is also preggers which is SO exciting for us. Her baby is due about 1 month before our baby so we really get to share this pregnancy journey together. I LOVE that our kids will be friends before they were born just like us! :)


After my wonderful visit, I headed back to Wantagh and said my goodbyes to Lucy and Ed. It was time to head into the city for my monthly work stint and that's where I have been. This trip to the office has been really special as it was the first time I shared the baby news with my colleagues. Of course, my boss and a few of my work besties already knew, but now everyone knows and I have been showered with congratulations and well wishes. It has been awesome. I feel so lucky that I work with such a wonderful group of people. It's not easy to find, so I truly appreciate it.

So that's it. I've been MIA because I literally have not been home. I head back tonight and I'm looking forward to seeing the hubby and the Lucy-girl. Although I did get the chance to "see" them last night on our inaugural use of Facetime on the IPad. LOVE IT! Lucy was very confused as to why Mommy was on the screen and not next to her, but came to terms with it by nosing the monitor and salivating on the keyboard of Ed's Mac. :)

Big Sister

When we found out we were pregnant, we thought of all kinds of fun ways to tell people the good news. From phone calls to emails to blog posts, the word spread, but we had a unique idea that involved Lucy to share the news with Ed's family who is getting together this weekend in the Hamptons. Well, we failed in execution because we already called them, BUT we did decide to follow-through on the original plan which was to outfit Lucy in a Big Sister t-shirt. :)

I took the cue from blog fav Young House Love on the idea and even the vendor for the shirt which turned out to be Chicago T-Shirt Deli. And I'm so glad I did. It came today and I couldn't get over how adorable it was. And I'm not just talking about the t-shirt, but the actual packaging it came in. Who gets excited about packaging? Well, apparently ME! :)

Check this out...when I opened the ordinary brown box I was delighted to see a package wrapped in deli paper. Inside the deli paper was a doggie-bag - literally with a doggie photo on it! Inside the doggie bag was my "Kosher Style" order along with a bag of potato chips and a napkin complete with washing instructions. TOO CLEVER!!


My favorite is how the actual t-shirt was wrapped - apparently it is low card, made of Grade A fresh poultry and is HOT! And it was...check Miss Lucy out:


I think she is going to be a great big sister...and now she is doing it in style!

Rainy Day Blues

It has literally been raining all week. And not the on-and-off kind of light rain. The always on, always down pouring, flood the yard kind of rain. At first, it was okay. But now it is getting out of hand. The 14th Street Bridge in DC was shut down yesterday for flooding for cryin' out loud! I am ready for the sun as I'm sure most of you are.

The house is tolerating it well, but I'm pretty sure it is time to clean the gutters as we have a bit of overflow...but not as bad as our neighbor:


The downstairs deck is going to need some serious attention from the squigi as it is quite flooded...


...and the newly planted sod is drowning in water so I think it will need some attention once Mother Nature decides to turn off the faucet. Same goes for my pretty flower box in the front of the house.


Rain Rain Go Away!!

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!