Something extra special to be thankful for this year

I'll write an actual entry later, but for now here are some pictures:)

Aiden coming soon!

So the day has finally arrived and tonight we check in to the hospital to begin the induction process. Tonight they will give me cervidil to hopefully do some dilating work and will begin pitocin in the morning. However, the cervidil may be enough to start labor on its own and that would be WONDERFUL. I'd love to avoid a pitocin induced labor!

I'm so nervous about everything, especially the needles! but trying to keep in the front of my mind how wonderful it will be to hold our little boy tomorrow night. Mr. F and I woke up with HUGE smiles this morning knowing we've spent our last night in our apartment without Aiden and the first addition to our family is almost here.

Pregnancy has been a wonderful adventure and I'm so thankful to have been given this gift. It certainly hasnt been all roses all the time and I'm really looking forward to it being over. I've even been dreaming about my non-maternity clothes! It goes without saying that Im most excited to meet Aiden, but I'd be lying if I said a nice big glass of wine was far from my mind too:)

The next post should be baby pictures! Stay tuned!!

40 weeks 3 days

Well, D-day came and went and aside from some random contractions, not much has happened since Friday. However, we did have a false alarm and went to the hospital on Saturday night, but sent back home. Disappointing, but not surprising. We did discover that instead of a duffel bag, I should repack into a rolling suitcase so Mr. F does have to lug my bad all the way to the hospital (we live close enough to walk there). Today I had another appointment and no change since last week, which is a bummer and the raspberry tea did NOTHING, nor did all the walking or any other suggested method. However, my Dr. has decided to schedule me for an induction Wed night/Thursday morning, which means Aiden will be here around dinner on Thursday (he has 48 hrs to do it on his own)! The plan is to admit me on Wednesday night and start the pitocin on Thurs morning. I am def having mixed feelings about this because I really want to go naturally and I've heard terrible things about pitocin induced labor. BUT, knowing when he's coming will make going to the hospital more relaxing and our parents can just plan to come up on Friday. Not to mention, Mr. F will get a 4 day weekend! :)

This weekend was also great because we got one last grocery trip in, did all the laundry and had some people over for chips and salsa while we watched the Giants win!

Its so strange, every once in awhile Mr. F and I look at eachother and ask "Are you ready for all of this?" and it hits us at different times that our family is taking shape. Its so hard to put into words the variety of emotions conjured up each time, but suffice it to say that we are beyond excited and so ready to meet this little man.

I've learned so much about life through this whole process of being pregnant and I'm sure the lessons are just getting started. The one thing I know for sure is that I have an amazing husband and partner and there is no way I'd want to do any of this without him. I am a very blessed woman, and I know it.

National Adoption Day

I realize the last few posts have been very self-centered and as excited as I am about having this baby, I thought it might be time to write about other people's babies. Growing up my family was a foster family and over the years we took care of lots of babies and kids, some of whom were abused, neglected or mentally handicapped. In high school I shared my room with a rambunctious 2 year old for 2 years and it was the most rewarding experience of my life and I dare say, that of my entire family. Sure this experience was not without a lot of challenges, but through it all I came to admire my parents and the strength of their marriage. I realized first hand what it is to love someone more than yourself, and just how many children need a loving home. We werethisclose (literally 1 day away from adopting Nina, the 2 year old), but then another family came along who had young children, a stay at home mom to give her the extra attention she needed and they were multi-ethnic, just like her! It was so painful to let her go, but we realized what a blessing this new family was and what an even greater blessing that they wanted to include us as part of their new family.
Not every foster care story has the same ending, but every child deserves the same chance. This Saturday is national adoption day and if even you arent in a position to adopt a child or even a pet right now, consider volunteering for an organization like CASA (court appointed special advocates) or becoming active in Big Brothers Big Sisters. OR simply talk to other people about the huge numbers of children, not just babies, who just need someone to love them and care for them.

Patience is a Virtue...

...that I dont have. After the high of Monday finding out that I was finally making some progress, I'm definitely hitting the low of still being pregnant. I know I'm not due until Friday and most first babies are late, but I was hoping against hope I'd got yesterday. Not to mention I was 3 days early and my bro was 1 day late, so genetics to go on time are on my side. How cool would it be to have a birthday of 11/11!? Its getting so bad I dreamt last night that I had actually given birth and didnt know it. Somehow I completely missed the whole thing! Aiden better get a move on!

I also did a little research and found out that I was born on a full moon and tomorrow is a full moon... maybe, just maybe... well, I dont want to jinx it!

1 down 9 to go

This weekend was pretty tough as I finally started to have some serious contractions. Poor Mr. F (or "My Baby Daddy as he told me I should refer to him on this blog...) woke up every time I rolled over on Saturday night to ask if we needed to go to the hospital. Well, we didn't go, but I was having solid contractions about every 20 min, then every 10 for a while and as painful as they were, I got the great news this morning at my check up that some progress has been made! 1 cm down, 9 to go! Additionally I didnt gain any weight this week, another sign labor is probably around the corner!! Just in case though, we set an induction date of next Thursday, Nov. 20.

I've been walking as much as I possibly can and eating lots of spicey foods too. Not to mention the dr. told me rasberry tea has been known to help labor get going... and if all else fails, there is a full moon this Thursday, so something is bound to happen! And yes, in case you're wondering, more people than I can count have recommended a little "adult activity" to help things move in the right direction, although I think that is a discussion for another blog ;)

If you know of any other ways to get things moving let me know! I want to have this baby pronto!!! :)

ps. any and all prayers for a safe delivery are welcomed and appreciated :)

39 Weeks Down, 1(?) To Go!!!

Holy Cow! Today is the 39 week mark and boy does it feel like I'm going to pop at any second...and truthfully, I wish I would! November 7 was our "Please let us make it to this date!" goal because today is Mr. F's last day of general surgery rotations and the large majority of my school things are done for the time being. However, I have to admit I'm getting overwhelmed and stressed because I feel like professors keep assigning things for me to do while I'm out with the baby. I don't understand because they all knew I was going to be ending my semester early and agreed to give me take homes or papers instead of finals. The reality is, I'm only missing 2 or 3 classes at the end of the semester and havent missed or been late to a single class all semester. I'm having a real moment of wishing I could just take a normal maternity leave and not be expected to be accountable to anyone school related. I'm having a major pity party for myself, which isnt helped by having a really tough time getting around, feeling exhausted and having classmates tell me it was "a bold move to wear flip-flops when my feet and ankles look like the Michelin man." Seriously. And nothing else fits. I now understand the phrase "barefoot and pregnant."

Mr. F being the phenomenal man and husband that he is, I am seriously the luckiest woman on the planet, reminded me that we've been through so much and these little school stressors are just minuscule...and that I only need to pass my classes. I know he's right, but thats pretty tough to swallow because I dont like to do anything half-assed, even though I know he's right at this point. UGHHHH.

I hope everyone else is having a great Friday and I'm gonna try to get myself out of this funk pronto.

could it be?

So last night I hardly slept. I laid awake in bed for hours and when I finally fell asleep I was woken up by the insane partying on Broad St. again. It was worse or on par with the World Series celebrations. I was so thankful Aiden wasnt here yet because I'm sure he would have been woken up. I didnt even need to check the tv to know Obama was elected. Among Philly's many lacking qualities subtly is definitely one of them.

The partying lasted until about 2:30 am. ughhh.

Then this morning I woke up with Mr. F before 4am as usual... general surgery is taking a toll on both of us... the hours are insane and I'm so glad he doesnt want to specialize in surgery! Well, usually I have no problem going back to sleep after he leaves for the hospital but this morning, no such luck. After tossing and turning for awhile I finally got up and cleaned the kitchen, got dinner ready, made lunch, vacuumed my apartment, cleaned the bathroom and ... well, you get the idea.

Could this be the infamous pre-labor burst of energy? Only time will tell and I'll be sure to keep you updated!

a little vanity

Ok, I definitely care about my appearance and like to make a good impression. However, I am not afraid to leave the house without makeup. Now that said, I have been thinking about how I'm going to look in the hospital when Aiden comes. I know I know... I'm going to be giving birth and chances are not looking my best, but who cares cause I'll be bringing a new life into this world. I get it. BUT what about afterwards? What about when all those pictures are taken that will last FOREVER and will be treasured because they will be our first family pictures? What about when friends and family come to meet Aiden? I dont want to look like I've just given birth, I want to look like I'm glowing. Call it vanity or insanity.

So this morning I decided I am going to at least do my nails. After performing contortions a Cirque De Soliel performer would be jealous of, I managed to paint my toes! Thats right, I havent seen my feet in months, let alone put my own shoes on and I managed to not only put a cute shade of pink on my own toes, but also keep it to just the nails! HOT DAMN. Where there's a will there is a way. In the interest of full disclosure, I was motivated by the thought of looking at my feet while I'm pushing Aiden and thinking that I dont care how unflattering that position may be, I'm still cute and girly.

Additionally, I waddled my way down to Walgreens in an effort to get a little exercise with the promise of buying a new bottle of nail polish. Two birds with one stone:) So now I have painted fingers and toes and am REALLY ready for Aiden to get here, and I'll look good all the while:)

I voted!

This week is a pretty big deal, we're electing our next president and chances are pretty good I'm going to have a baby, one of these you may care more about than the other, dont worry, i'm not going to ask which one:) I promise this is not an entry about which candidate I think is the best or my personal politics. I believe each person's vote is as valuable as the next, but it is a private matter. Growing up, my family talked politics, but when it came time to vote, my parents never told us or each other who they voted for. Perhaps this seems strange, but I think the point was that no one should feel pressure to pick one candidate over the other based upon what someone else says...and there should be no backlash over your individual choice. Mr. F and I have agreed that we will always talk issues and have political discussions with our children, but we are not going to reveal our final votes. We even voted absentee in separate rooms this year.

My point in all of this rambling is not just how happy I will be when this election is over, but the main reason I am excited is because I'm so sick and tired of feeling bombarded not only by both candidate's negativity, but by the sheer level of offensive in-your-face attitude of campaign volunteers. I am so happy people are taking our privilege to vote so seriously. We are truly a blessed nation to not have to be afraid of violence on our way to the polls and we know each vote does count (hello florida!) Yet, election time is my least favorite time of year. Over the last 6 months I have been bombarded by one volunteer following me down the sidewalk asking if I am registered to vote, to which I answered yes. That wasnt good enough because i was told I should register in PA because its a swing state. What that volunteer didnt know was I'm a registered VA voter, also an important player this year. I'm not sure what part of my continued walking and lack of eye contact was interpreted as "please follow me and harass me" on the part of the volunteer. Later in the summer a volunteer actually got in front of me to block my path when I tried to walk past her because she wasnt getting a response from me. Keep in mind, it was during the worst heat wave this summer, I was 5 mos visibly pregnant, and carrying my cat on the way home from the vet.

This year I beg each of you to vote, be active in politics if you are so inclined, but PLEASE go forward with an attitude of respect of fellow voters and for a variety of opinions. Just because we may not agree on politics doesnt mean one opinion is more valuable than another...and political opinion certainly is not an indicator of intelligence.

Now I'll step off my soap box and ask if anyone has an extra "I voted" sticker and would like to share it with me I'd be very grateful. The stickers arent included in absentee ballots and I'd really like a free krispy kreme donut tomorrow :)



and for the record, i'm a registered independent. just in case you were wondering.

Halloween, 38 weeks and 86 yrs!!

Today is a BIG day on so many fronts.

I am offically 38 weeks along and we're getting more and more excited by the moment! Aiden is getting so big and kicking me like crazy. At this week's dr's appointment I even lost 1 lb, which is apparently a sign labor is coming soon!

Additionally, today is my grandmother's 86th birthday! I am not so secretly hoping Aiden is born today not so much because his birthday would be Halloween, but because he'd share a birthday with my Nana.


Today is also Halloween! I loooove halloween and have been searching the internet for preggo halloween costumes, but there isnt too much out there besides the pregnant nun and priest. Something about that I just find too offensive. Blame it on years of Catholic school. However, I'm not so sure I'm even going to go out tonight. Mr. F has to be in the hospital around 4:45am tomorrow and I'm waddling. OHHH maybe I'll be a penguin!



Finally, this afternoon is the Phillies celebratory parade down Broad St. The parade is not supposed to begin until noon. HOWEVER, before 8am the noise of crowds on the street was deafening and I've never seen so many cops in one place. People are crazy!! I'm debating whether or not to stay on campus till the parade is over just to avoid the insanity.

And the Phillies win!!!

After 28 years and a 46 hr game suspension, the Phillies won the world series last night. Of course the noise was deafening last night, but could it was very cool to see the whole city celebrate... and tomorrow is the parade down Broad Street. Mr. F and I went to check it out for about 10 minutes just because how often do you live in a city when the home team wins the World Series? Not to mention, we wanted to tell Aiden he was there, sorta:) Broad St. was CRAZY, and here are some pics:

officially nesting

Today Mr. F and I set up all the last minute things in our apartment as if Aiden were to arrive today. Now we are totally ready, just waiting on the little guy to get here. We even attempted to install the car seat, with mixed results... dont worry, we'll be taking it to the fire station for proper installation before going anywhere with Aiden in it. We also took a few new pictures. We even tried out the baby bjorn and practiced adjusting it... yes, we're both type a. :)

Dear Aiden

Today you and I hit our 37 week mark, which means you are officially full term! What a big milestone for us!!! In celebration, I have compiled a list of reasons you should come ASAP.

1. I am officially wearing your dad's sweatpants. In public. Why? Because even my maternity clothes are just not fitting anymore.

2. I'm very tired of being so swollen. I havent worn my wedding rings in months and only have one pair of shoes (and they're velcro!) that fit.

3. I am like a beached whale trying to get out of bed each morning (and every time I wake up in the middle of the night to pee).

4. My belly barely fits in the desks at school. You are a BIG baby!!

5. Its getting pretty cold out... and I have no winter clothes that fit! But thats ok cause I'm living in a permanent hot flash

6. Most importantly, your dad and I are dying to meet you! Its amazing to think we've already seen your face in an ultrasound and I feel your little tush and feet push out all day every day, but its a cheap substitute to actually holding you and kissing you.


So, I think I've laid out a compelling case for you to come sooner rather than later. Lets get working on that, ok?

Love, Mom

youre invited to a birthday party

this week started my weekly dr. appointments and will continue until Aiden decides to arrive. This marks a big moment in my pregnancy as my initial appointments were once a month, then once every 2 weeks and now once a week...and I've realized I'm only going to be pregnant for max 4 more weeks!! The best part of my appointment this week was finding out that Aiden's head is very low and in position. My dr. was so excited and told me that we are just waiting on Aiden to have a birthday party! All the anxiety of early pregnancy is over and now its just a waiting game. She also suggested we have our hospital bags packed. Wahoo!!! Now, if he could just come sooner rather than later that would be great because I dont have any maternity winter coats...and its getting colder by the day!

so obviously we're getting pretty excited around here, but making every effort to treasure this last little bit of time just the two of us. its like waiting for christmas, but not knowing what day christmas will actually be.

in other exciting news, tonight is the first game of the world series, and i'm not going to lie, i hope the phils loose. my redsox arent in it so i'm not terribly interested, but will DEFINITELY be rooting for the Rays if only to avoid the horrible celebrating that is bound to occur if the phils win. heaven forbid they dont get swept in fl and end up winning in philly. i'm investing in riot gear and earplugs....

My first ER visit

Well, celebrating the 36 week mark definitely did not go as planned, but it was certainly more exciting than planned! Around noon on Friday I noticed that my right leg was really starting to become heavy and it felt like someone had tied a rubber band around my knee. My calf started hurting and my right foot was more swollen than the left. I called my Dr. and the receptionist was beyond unhelpful and told me I couldnt be seen because they were all booked... I will absolutely be complaining tomorrow at my appointment. I panicked a bit because a blood clot is very serious and is pretty common in pregnancy and my symptoms were definitely pointing that way. Luckily I was on campus and headed straight over to the ER. They even have a special ER for labor and delivery! Turns out Aiden is probably just laying funny and blocking my lymphatic system causing more swelling on one side than the other.

I'll spare you all the details, but it was a loooong day after checking in around 1pm and not getting home until midnight. All they had to do was an ultrasound of my leg to verify there were no clots. Mr. F was def. my hero as he came right from his surgery rotation, still in his scrubs! and stuck it out with me the whole time. The poor guy was falling asleep in the waiting room. I also got quite an education from the other women in the waiting room, many of whom were there with their 4 or 5 pregnancies. I was told "My coochie is going to get THIS big" complete with hand gestures indicating the size of a football. And yes, that is a direct quote. I'll be getting the epidural, thankyouverymuch.

Needless to say we were exhausted and starving so we picked up a pizza, polished it off and passed out for a solid night of sleep. We were able to sleep in on Saturday and relished what is one of our last quiet weekends for probaly the next 25 years.

We're getting more and more excited by the day and wonder each day when we wake up if today is the day. The closer we get to my due date, the more the anticipation builds, and its SO FUN!

This past week there was even a full moon and two people checked to see if I went into labor as they both delivered on full moons. Needless to say I didnt have Aiden last week but the next full moon is Nov. 13 and I'm due Nov. 14... so we'll see!

PS. I heard Meredith and Emma read this blog so I'm giving them a big shout out!! I hope youre both doing well and keep in touch!!!

home stretch

We're getting so close I can almost taste it! Officially 4 weeks to go and if my body is telling me anything, I'm not going to make it a full four weeks.... my guess is 2-3 weeks. The contractions and waddling have started in full force and on top of it all, Georgie, my cat, wont leave me alone and she's not usually a full on cuddly animal. Oh, and Aiden has dropped big time. The heartburn is gone!!! but... my feet have swollen like balloons and the aforementioned WADDLE.

In news other than baby, the Phillies won last night and are headed to the World Series. Let me tell you, the partying in the streets last night was out of control!! People were carrying on until 2:30 did a pretty stellar job of keeping me awake. And no, I'm not bitter...

Mr. F also pointed out to me that the worst of my semester is over! I've already finished the majority of papers, exams and even my thesis presentation! All thats left is a few presentations and finals in Dec that will be take homes and papers. Holy cow! That feels GREAT! And speaking of class... I suppose I should start paying attenting now... :)

Tomorrow is the official 36 week mark!!

34.5 weeks down, 5.5 to go

How soon till I see my feet again?!

and the new record is...

This weekend a new record was set for amount off using a bonus card at the grocery store: $40.00. That's right, $40.00. Booyah!!

Also this weekend my mom and dad visited and we had a great time taking them to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, cheesesteaks and went out to brunch on Sunday. They brought up all the baby clothes and the carrier. The highlight of the weekend was a 40 min period on Saturday evening of braxton hicks contractions which were coming 2 min apart. Poor Mr. F had a look of panic I've never seen before! Baby books were read in earnest on Sunday, the basinet is now set up and my hospital bag is packed... we're much more prepared in case Aiden decides to come early!

School is in full swing and trying to balance everything is becoming more and more difficult, not to mention Mr. F has begun his surgery rotation. We are a busy house, but trying to take every moment we can to enjoy these last few weeks before Aiden arrives.

Coming soon: baby pool!!!

Baby Love

Today Mr. F and I had an extremely productive and fun day, despite the yucky weather. This morning we made our first big purchase, a La-z-boy recliner! And the best part is, we didnt actually have to pay for, the insurance company is since everything Mr. F owned burned in a massive fire. Moral of the story: get homeowners insurance!

We also had our last ultrasound and it was INCREDIBLE! We got the great news that Aiden is already head down and getting too big to turn so the chances of a c-section are way down! We also found out that he's got a full head of long hair, but that doesnt surprise any one (my hair was so long at birth it was in my eyes!) and at 33 weeks, he's already 5 lbs 5 oz and on track to be about 8.5 lbs at birth! Also no surprise as I was over 8 and my brother was over 9...I guess it was wishful thinking he'd be more like his dad who was just over 6 lbs at birth. The ultra sound of his face was so clear you can see his eyes, lips, nose and chubby cheeks!

personal hygiene

2 days this week I've been on the bus and people have been cutting their nails. I'm all for proper personal hygiene, but on a public bus? I think I just threw up a little.

32 weeks 2 days!

Hospital Dry Run

Today Mr. F and I went on a tour of the hospital with a bunch of other couples to check out where to go and what to do when I'm in labor. It was so great, informative and really fun. Just one more step that made us suddenly feel older and a bit more ready for this little guy. We learned lots of interesting things like making sure we ask to have Aiden placed directly on my chest after he is born instead of taking him to get cleaned up as well as how long I can stay and that they do have daddy cots in the rooms. All thats left is is packing the hospital bag!...and the 8 weeks till my due date! :) I think Aiden got pretty excited as well cause he was a jumping bean the whole time!

Yesterday was also the 32 week mark!! Next weekend my parents are coming up to bring the carrier, baby clothes and even my mom's rocker from when I was born. Everyone is getting so excited and I'm having a difficult time concentrating on school, mainly because I have 3 hr classes, a baby tap dancing on my bladder and an incredibly sore tailbone, so sitting is not the most comfortable. However, the weather has taken a decidedly cooler turn and I think I shrunk 3 inches in circumference just from all the swelling!

32 week pictures coming soon!

It finally happened

So it has come to this... Mr. F had to put my shoes AND socks on because I couldnt reach. These are going to be a long 8 weeks! Thankfully he's the best sport!

30 weeks 5 days

cheesy chicken crepes

Last night's dinner was a HUGE success! I made delicious cheesy chicken crepes and although they are a bit labor intensive (they took 2 hrs the first time, but I managed to make them in 1 hr last night), they are fantastic, and the recipe makes enough for leftovers! :) I'll even be making crepes with strawberries and chocolate for dessert tonight.

Crepes:
3 eggs
1 cup of milk
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp of salt

Combine all the above ingredients and mix well. Let the batter sit for 15 min.
In a hot non-stick skillet pour a thin layer of the batter and let it cover the whole pan. It will take about 30-45 sec for it to cook, then flip the crepe for another 15 secs. Repeat with the remainder of the batter and let them cool with wax paper in between. (you'll get about 5 or 6 crepes from a large pan)

Crepe Filling:
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup sliced onions or scallions
2 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
1/2 all purpose flour
1/2 dried, crushed rosemary (I didnt have any so I used tyme, it was still great!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup mayo
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1. saute mushrooms & onions in butter
2. cook chicken
3. in separate sauce pan, mix flour and seasonings, blend in mayo
4. stir in milk to flour/seasonings/mayo mixture over med heat until thickened
5. add cheese until melted
6. add shrooms/onions and chicken

In a large 13x9 pyrex-type dish fill the crepes by spooning in the filling down the center and wrapping them up.

Cheese Sauce

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese

In a small sauce pan combine the milk and cheese until the cheese melts.
Pour the sauce over the crepes


Bake the entire dish on 350 for about 15 min or until heated through. No need to cover the dish.

Enjoy!!


The nutrition facts arent going to win any awards, but if you substitute fat free milk (or lactaid in our house) and reduced fat cheese and serve with a side of veggies, you cant go wrong.

I'd include a picture, but we were too hungry to take one last night and just dug in! Let me know if you try this recipe or if you come up with variations!

Tony Montana

It's here! And I love it!!

Dear Philadelphia,

You Suck.


I've been holding off typing this entry, but I just can't take it anymore. The level of inconsideration of Philadelphia residents just takes things to a whole new level. I ride the bus every day at least 2x a day. I have YET to be offered a seat and I am 7 mos pregnant. The truth of the matter is, its harder to sit then have to stand quickly, and God forbid I was elderly or injured.

Oh, and I have I mentioned the part where people push and shove to the point I'm worried I'm going to hit something or someone with my belly? Right.

Anyway, I can't wait till we part ways for good. Till then, you are on notice.


Jenna

PS. When a pregnant lady is the only one who stands up for an older woman, you know something is wrong. Get your act together.

Down the Shore

What a great last weekend of the summer! A group of couples from my program went in on a house down the Jersey shore for the weekend as a last hurrah before school started. We all took turns cooking and we even put in some quality time playing board games and cards.

On our night to cook I made baked pasta with ground beef, garlic bread and salad. For dessert we even had apple pie! However, I almost burned the house down because I'm pretty sure the oven was set to "inferno." I'm definitely not used to cooking in a gas oven with open flames so when the garlic bread caught fire... we'll lets just say it wasnt good. Here's a picture of the most edible part of the bread.

We also celebrated Rachel's birthday with the coolest candles!

And by far the best part of weekend was a long walk on the beach with Mr. F talking about our dream house.

Not too shabby for almost 30 weeks! :)

Last week of freedom!

My summer internship ended last week and I headed to my parents' for a much need break from the city and some pampering, cause no one takes care of you like mom! It was great to do some outlet shopping, meet up with my college roommate and her baby and even pick up some shoes that are super wide (and velcro!) to accommodate my wider, swollen feet. With this new addition to my wardrobe I've been able to go walking for about 1 hr everyday in the morning. Its GREAT! and hopefully will slow down my big weight gain from last month... but thats another story I dont want to get into right now. The only downside to being home was being away from Mr. F for a few days. It was really tough, but made it that much sweeter to come home again.

One of the most exciting things was going to babies r' us and picking up the stroller and baby carrier. We're really in great shape for his arrival, which is awesome with school starting and I'm officially in my 3rd trimester! How did that happen?!

This is my last week of freedom before school starts so I've been busy doing laundry, grocery shopping and getting things in order, including working on my thesis proposal, which is due on the first day of class next Wednesday.

In Aiden news, I've stopped feeling lots of kicking and much more rolling. We're talking belly shape-shifting movement. Its so exciting!!

reasons why i looove friday

Not only is today Friday, one of the best days of the week, its also my LAST day at my internship. I cant believe I made it allll summer at this place, but lets be honest, its not the first boring job I've had, that quite frankly, a trained monkey could do. However, it paid the summer bills, groceries, and has helped Mr. F and I become completely free of credit card debt. Wahoo!!

And to celebrate my last day, the office is taking me out to Capigero, quite possibly the BEST gelato this side of the Mediterranean. I can't say I'm sorry to be leaving this job, but it has brought me one step closer to finishing my degree so I'll eat my gelato with a smile and enjoy the last week off before classes start.

This weekend Mr. F and I are going on yet another road trip, this time back home to see his mom graduate with her Doctorate in Pharmacy. We are all so proud of her, especially going back to school while working full time. What a wonderful example to us and our children that learning is never over and its never too late to pursue your goals.

Of course another road trip means getting out of work and hitting the road. It also means that the desperate laundry situation had to be handled pronto. I did 4 loads of laundry yesterday, made stuffed peppers and chili for Mr. F while I stay with my parents next week for a little R&R annnnd got salmon on the table for dinner last night. And just to add to the productivity, I got us all set up with Renter's insurance today... after going through everything with Mr. F's fire, lets just say its worth it! Michael Phelps may be unstoppable, but so am I! :)

3 months to go!!

Ok, first things first:

1. Cashew chicken, edible, but not so good. But Mr. F was a champ and ate it with a smile. I love that man! :)

2. 3 months from today is Aiden's due date! Oh baby!!

3. 2nd day in a row I actually got sneakers on! I loooove cooler weather and less swollen feet!

4. I actually felt a little foot (or hand) yesterday! I've been feeling where Aiden's laying because one side of my belly is definitely harder than the other and its either a head or rump, but I actually felt the definite outline of a foot or hand as it pummeled me from the inside!

5. We saw two mice in our kitchen, which is immaculate with no food sitting out. But hey, this is city living... After setting some traps for them, we realized they may be smarter than the average mouse... alllll the peanut butter was gone and the trap sitting empty. Any suggestions?

By popular demand...

A few wedding pics and maybe a belly shot or two. My mom is in the green and my mother-in-law is in the pink. Belly:26 weeks...and I maintain that the camera DOES add 10lbs, cause I'm def not that big!

Alex and Zoe

One of my favorite books as a child, a true staple in our after dinner reading was a book called Join in with us! Letters by Karen O'Callaghan. It was originally published in 1982 in England and is no longer in print. However, I put my internet searching skills to work and actually found not one, not two...but about 12 copies of the book floating around out there! I have so many memories of being a little child snuggled up on the couch with my mom and/or dad learning my ABC's. I can still recall some of the images...keep in mind I was about 3 or 4 at the time! This book was hugely helpful in teaching both my brother and I to read. Well, I called my mom with the exciting news that I found said book and she told me to order 2 of them, one for me and one for when my brother has children. Holy cow, I'm so excited!!

In other exciting news I am trying a new crock-pot recipe tonight... cashew chicken over egg noodles. Keep your fingers crossed! If it turns out well, I'll post it up here.

Annnd as the weather has been absolutely STUNNING this week, my feet have finally deflated enough to actually put sneakers on!

mmmm... diaper cake!

This weekend was so much fun! Mr. F and I didnt get to the reunion until 3am on Saturday morning, but the drive coulnt have been easier.. NO traffic!

On Saturday was my mini baby shower and I couldnt have asked for more. It was just 2 of my cousins, my grandma, 2 aunts and my mom. We sat around having mini sandwiches and I got alllll kinds of advice on everything from labor and delivery to baby gear. It was really interesting because (pardon my nerdyness...) I just read an article about fear and myths around labor and delivery in western culture because our current social structure does not facilitate many family members living in super close proximity. So in the past women would pass down stories and memories to the younger women, often removing much of the unknown aspect of major life events. Well, the gloves were off and I heard it alll! My cousin was even video taping the shower and every few minutes someone would tell her to turn off the camera and come out with some of the funniest, most blunt things. The anthropologist in me really got a kick out of it and the soon to be new mom learned ALOT!

My cousin E is also super creative and talented. She sent the cutest invitations and actually decorated the cake to match them! Then she made this adorable diaper cake. Not to mention that my uncle and cousin are both Navy SEALS, so wouldnt you know, I got a baby Navy SEAL hat! It was a blast and I feel like we might be almost ready with the essentials for Aiden to get here... He even has a bassinet ready to go!

Pillow Fight!!

It has officially happened... I had to prop my belly up on a pillow last night after waking up at 12:30 in excruciating pain. I also spent the night on the couch cause I just couldnt get comfortable in bed. Of course this lead me to call my parents bright and early requesting they bring my body pillow to the reunion....

Speaking of the reunion, I am so excited. I love family reunions, the crazy amounts of food, and just how opinionated and outspoken every member of the family is. However, I am not excited for our late night drive tonight. BUT, I did get that load of laundry done before dinner last night and I should have the "other boleyn girl" from Netflix at home, perfect to kill some time while I wait for Mr. F to get home from the hospital. Not to mention I'm getting off from work at 3pm. I love summer Fridays.

And if all of that wasnt enough...if I could bottle this weather up for a rainy day I would. It is a perfect spring day, sunny with a slight breeze and warm without being hot. Where is that hammock and good book?

awkward...

In case you need a laugh, and I mean the laugh out loud by yourself in your cubicle awkward kind of laugh check out Failblog. Happy Friday!

I believe you have my stapler...

Fun fact: did you know Swingline didn't make the cherry red stapler until after the movie Office Space came out? I couldnt help but think about that this morning as I spent 1.75 hrs unclogging the office paper shredder...with a mail opener and tweezers.

Anyway... so my obsession with bargain shopping etc is clearly genetic because my mom called today to tell me she has earned $28 at the local consignment shop! Neither one of us knew the other one was selling things, I just happen to do it online and she does it in person (one of us is a little more technically savvy than the other:) But we both got a good laugh at our coinciding efforts to make a few bucks and clean out our closets.

Mom also told me a joke...keep in mind, she's not the best joke teller in the family, but seemed pretty proud of herself to have pulled this off: "Why couldnt the underage kids see the pirate movie?".... "Because it was rate ARRRRRGH"

Tonight my cousins-in-law are in town with their kids and we're all going out to dinner at a great Greek place in Philly, which just so happens to be the same place Mr. F and myself went to on our first official date in Philly! (we went on a few in our hometown first) The food is delicious and the weather is beautiful. August is starting out quite nicely weather-wise and I'm hoping it continues!

This weekend is also the infamous annual family reunion and the best part is Mr. F was able to get out of being on-call!!! I'm so excited!!... now if only he can get out of work before 9:30 pm we can leave at a decent time. Being the serious type-A person I am, I've already started packing and have the to do list in full force, including trying to do laundry between work and dinner tonight. I want to be able to get in the car and go when Mr. F gets out tomorrow night so maybe, just maybe we can get there before 3am. Wish me luck!!

A little more serious note

In the last week or so several small events have coincided in my life that have pushed me to post about something with more substance than my previous entries. I recently found out that a 19 year old family friend was unexpectedly pregnant (a surprise I can easily relate to!). However, the father is not really in the picture in any substantive way. I am not going to pick sides on the abortion debate here, but I want to take a moment to express my profound admiration for M as she has chosen to give her baby up for adoption. M is a junior in college and has decided she can not give her baby everything she deserves. She has chosen an incredibly difficult path, but one that I believe shows maturity beyond her years as well as a supreme example of a mother's love. It is in light of this positive story, a young mother's love for her child and the blessing of a family unable to conceive a biological child that put perspective on a few other recent news stories.

Philly is currently rolling in the wake of the story of Danieal Kelly, a 14 yr old handicapped girl whose mother actively neglected and abused her. As I read the story in the paper I was brought to tears and vomiting wondering how a mother, or a human being for that matter, could behave in such a despicable way.

Then on Ashley's Closet I read a more positive story about a feral child and the couple who adopted Dani. The story, also heartbreaking, is an example of what can happen when good people take a stand.

Finally, as I have been exploring other blogs like the Beehive Five, I've come across several that are celebrations of families with adopted children.

Growing up my family participated in Foster Care, taking care of children ranging from infants to 14 yr olds with physical and mental disabilities. My brother and I were actively included in the decision to care for others and my family became a strong team led by my parents. This is one of the reasons (among many) I admire my parents not just for the love and support they have always shown us, but because they answered the call to lead by example. As a high schooler I shared my room for 2 years with a toddler who couldn't speak at first and was flirting with Reactive Attachment Disorder due to neglect. Just as my family decided to make her a permanent legal (she'll always be a permanent emotional) part of our family, we got word another family wanted to adopt her and they had young children her age...she'd fit right in! Letting her go was the hardest thing I have EVER had to do, but the reward of seeing her flourish in her new family and the gift of her adoptive family including my family in their lives over the years has been one of the most tremendous experiences anyone could hope for.

I fully understand not everyone feels the call to adopt or participate in foster care, or maybe, like Mr. F and myself, aren't in a position at this moment to do so, but I beg each person to consider volunteering for an organization like CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) that trains volunteers to act as children's advocates in courts where the parent's rights are typically put above the children's, or to consider if at some point foster care, even emergency care, might be a way to reach out to the most helpless of all.

I won an award!!

Yesterday was a sloooow day, until I checked Ab's blog and found out that I won an award!!! This is my very first blog award, so naturally I'm super excited! To keep the excitement going, I'm passing on this award to a few other blogs:

Eva: I just love catching up with college friends, one of my favorite reasons to blog!

Catherine: Reading about her baby and beautiful family are both educational as we're getting ready for our own baby, as well as her advice on all things baby has been wonderful!


Yesterday was also super exciting because I sold my comforter on Ebay, although not for as much as I bought it. However, I'm ok with that because the return period ended and we now have one less thing in our house..and a few extra bucks doesnt hurt! So today I started listing other things that we no longer need, including the jean skirt I won last week (It arrived and was perfect, except its too big!) I suddenly dont feel so guilty about splurging (all $10 of my splurge) on yesterday's stationary :) Have I mentioned I love ebay?!

As much as I love ebay, I HATE having blood work done. This morning I went for my gestational diabetes screening and to check for anemia because I'm still feeling pretty weak if I havent eaten red meat within the last 48 hrs. I was bracing for the testing because I've heard horror stories of the glucola they make you drink before the diabetes test. Its an oily orange liquid and you have to fast before hand. Then you wait an hour and they take blood. Honestly, it wasnt half as bad as I worked it up to be and the tech taking my blood didnt even give me a hard time when I requested a butterfly needle instead of the big kid version. However, the hands down best part of the whole thing (and yes, there was a best part!) was seeing 3 newborns, like just down from the nursery on their way home, newborns. They were the most beautiful little things and I cried like, well... a baby! I know its hormones, but feeling Aiden kick the whole time I'm looking at these babies just made me want to meet him right now and think about all of the wonderful things to come.

I'm also thinking about not being pregnant as my body has started to get big enough to not be so comfortable anymore. I've gotten big enough to not be able to lay on my back without my blood pressure being affected. The other night I had a tough time breathing, got very dizzy and sick to my stomach, not to mention the headache. Apparently this is very common as the baby gets heavier and Mr. F almost carried me off to the hospital, but I convinced him to wait a few minutes and sure enough, everything returned to normal after I shifted to my side. Basically I had the same thing as when you stand up too fast and get dizzy, its just a little more exaggerated when you're pregnant.

So now I'm in the office trying to keep my feet elevated and doing my best to convince myself to work on that thesis....

coupons...

Clearly today is a slow work day because this is my second post in one day, and its not even NOON!

But, I had to share...yesterday at the grocery store, we saved $27.09 with a bonus card! HOLY COW!

And, because I know many of you like to have pretty stationary with monograms, coupons.com has a deal with Vista Print right now. I just bought stationary with my new married monogram and return address labels and saved $20 on my entire order! Definitely worth checking out!

Annnnd, because I am bored, I already made birth announcements for Aiden... I'm just holding off ordering them so I can enter his birth date and weight.

I think I def need school to start soon!

Now that's what you call a great weekend!

This weekend was just what the Dr. ordered! After getting out of work early on Friday and getting 2 loads of laundry done before Mr. F and I headed out to meet friends, I knew this weekend was getting off to a fantastic start! Friday was Mr. F's last day of his first rotation so his team decided to meet up at one of our favorite bars in Old City, Philadelphia called Drinkers. Philly is smoke free and with shirley temples on tap, why not go out?! It was so much fun and I got to meet his team and all of their spouses, plus so many of our other friends were out...and we got a slice of pizza for dinner! I have to say it was pretty interesting though getting some nasty looks from other bar patrons. I am def visibly pregnant, so I guess I should just stay home until after the baby is born? What decade are we in anyway?

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to head to Harrisburg to the house of one of my classmates. Her parents' have an awesome backyard, complete with a hammock and pool! The weather was great and this was the first time I've been swimming since getting pretty big... I felt like I wasnt preggers!! Holy cow it was awesome! C's family is so nice and her parents even grilled out for us. It was so great to see Mr. F relax in a hammock for awhile, he really deserved some down time.

Sunday the stellar weekend continued as we slept in for the first time in about a month and then one of Mr. F's childhood friends was in town for the day before flying out in the evening. The weather was stunning so we took him on a walking tour of Philly. We walked around City Hall, had lunch at Reading Terminal Market, saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross House (you know, the lady who made the first flag), walked down Elfreth's Alley (the oldest surviving residential street in the country), and even saw Ben Franklin's grave!

I love having visitors because its such a great excuse to play tourist in your own home town!

Then, as if the weekend couldn't get any better, we got a parking spot with NO problems (a truly rare occurrence), picked up some groceries, and eased back into the week with some dinner on the couch and old episodes of The Office.

The BEST part of the weekend was being able to spend so much time together and really relax. This month is about to get crazy and things will not stop until Christmas between family reunions, school and a baby. I'm really learning to treasure the small moments instead of focusing on planning everything. Life is much more fun.