Vacation Part 2

On Monday of last week, we headed out to Salem, MA with Cousin J and K. This time last year, we had made the same trip. Both Cousin J and I had been trying with our Hubs to have babies for quite a long time. We were willing to try just about anything by that time. We rubbed a piece of wood that is said to make women fertile and we even entered a Wicken shop and underwent a spell. (The contents of which are still underneath our mattress). Low and behold, Cousin J and I proudly returned to Salem with babies in our bellies. Now who knows, was it the spell or the fact that we dropped gluten from our diets??? We may never know...

We had a blast though in Salem. My personal favorite of the day was the trolley tour of Salem. It is such a pretty town, with some pretty incredible history that goes well beyond witches. I was persuaded to go into a haunted house. I was worried I would scare our little baby right out of me, but all was well. Hubs even got scared at one point!

Monday night we were able to spend time with the Hubs Nana. We just love talking with her!

On Tuesday, we reunited with college friends. For lunch, a good friend of Joe's met up with us for some lunch. We headed out to an old favorite in Sturbridge, Soup To Nuts. Yummy, yum yum. I got the veggie pocket and the corn chowder soup. We're talking some of the best food ever! It was great catching up with him. From there I met up with one of my bestest friends, J-Lo. We have been friends since middle school and even attended the same college for a couple years. We did some shopping (she made me put a few things back) then headed to Springfield to meet up with a few of our other college friends. Pooh Bear and Gugs greeted us with pizza and ONION RINGS. I may have had more than my share of the onion rings...ok, maybe more than my share of all the food. I had such a good time catching up with everyone. Be prepared to see a picture of me as a giant...that's right, and it wasn't even Halloween yet.

Check back tomorrow for more visits that were held on Wednesday and Thursday. We had to extend our vacation a whole day because there were still people we wanted to see.

Vacation Part 1

Hubs, Pugs and I headed back home to visit family and friends for our vacation last week. It really was so exciting to see people with a little baby in my belly.

The 11 hour drive up caused some swelling in my feet. That first night there was wonderful though! Our parents and friends, Jay and Becki, all met us for pizza from Enricos! Enricos just happens to be the BEST brick oven pizza place ever! I was able to eat my Giordino pizza (white sauce, cheese, artichokes, ricotta cheese, and roasted red peppers). Yum, Yum. Becki and Jay surprised us with our first clothes for the little teddy bear in the belly. A onesie for a girl and a onesie for a boy. Covers all bases that way!

Sunday, we were able to get together with some of my family members who we had not seen since our going away party 2 years ago! We had a blast catching up and got some fabulous shots from the day. (Part 3 will cover a series of pictures for the week) The craziest part of Sunday was the snow! Yes, that's right, snow in October! It was really coming down and even accumulating on the ground. My uncle took some pictures of hubs getting covered with gigantic snowflakes!

Check back tomorrow for a haunting trip to Salem and then our Tuesday reunion with college friends.

Time is flying by so far!

Cravings galore and not so much craving...

What do you crave during your pregnancy? For me it has changed pretty much from week to week. In the beginning, all I wanted was Campbell's Chicken Noodle O's. (and yes, there is a difference between the O's and any other Campbell's soups!)

Right now, all I want are tart or sour items. Lemonade! Preferably lemonade from Quiznos. I swear, the lemonade at Quiznos tastes like pickles, which makes it even better!! Pickles and banana peppers are another favorite of the moment. I have been known to polish off a whole jar in one day. What pickles and banana peppers do I love the best?? Mt. Olive. AWESOME is all I have to say about that.

So what do I turn my nose up at or should I say my stomach turns over?? For starters, chicken. Really the thought of cooking chicken even grosses me out. I do not see to have a problem with chicken on the bone still, but boneless chicken breast, which I have always preferred, makes me want to vomit all over the place.

Seafood is a huge no-no around me right now as well. I have not eaten any, but if I am around the smell I get a headache and usually feel really sick.

Just a little belly for you

Week 12 shot

End of Week 12, entering WEEK 13!!!!!!

Well, as of today, I am officially in the second trimester, which seems to feel magic to me. I really did not stress and worry as much as I would have thought that I would during the first trimester, but it does feel extremely relieving to be done with the first 12 weeks!!

I am already less tired, having abandoned my daily naps weeks ago. I really am only DEAD TIRED on weekends when we have events. They are usually longer days than during the week. It would be expected for me to be tired. This past weekend we had a really cool wedding at a private home. Backyard BBQ style. The guests had a great and time and so did we. Sunday we did a quick setup in the morning for a cancer awareness event, which was when my feet started to tell me they had had enough!

Morning sickness is still around too. It usually does not lead to vomiting, just feeling nauseous. My stomach is very uneasy in the mornings. I have to drink an Ensure shake, which seems to settle my tummy...thankfully!

I am swelling a lot. By the end of the day, the feet need to go up. Unfortunately, I have not been able to wear my wedding rings for weeks. We bought a cheapo ring, just so that I still have the feel of the ring on my finger and so I don't get the stares from finger to belly, belly to finger.

Speaking of belly, I have one! Pics to follow soon.

The Crib Search

Hubs and I spent a couple weekends ago looking at, talking about, and researching cribs. Hubs had a very hands-on approach. He shook the cribs with all his might to see just how much they could withstand. I focused on the sturdiness, look, and then ultimately Consumer Reports and User ratings.

Just last night, we were discussing the crib again. We came to the realization that a convertible crib (crib/toddler bed/full-size bed) may not be the best option for us. Our bedrooms are a little on the smaller side. A full-size bed in one of them is not going to leave much room for play. So with that being said, we thought we had made a decision, but now we do not think we have!

Here is what we have narrowed it down to:

1. JC Penney- JC Penney has their own line of cribs. We know many people who have used and loved Penney cribs. We have seen them, placed sleeping babies inside of them, and picked up screaming babies out of them :-). We are very impressed with the quality. The ratings online are very good, especially in terms of safety and quality. The only negative press I have read indicate that shipping can cause issues. I am comfortable with that being the only problem, as long as we order well in advance.

These are the two Penney cribs we are considering.








This is the Grayson model. This converts to a toddler daybed, as well as a full-size headboard and footboard.






Here is the Bella model. This converts only to a toddler daybed.







Now, the final crib we have narrowed down is from Babies R US. It is a Babi Italia, Pinehurst Collection. This crib is rated number two on the Consumer Reports convertible cribs ratings! It converts to a toddler daybed and a full-size headboard/footboard.




We still have plenty of time to make our decision. Any feedback from my readers??