Bummer!

Becky emailed me this week to inform me that our (my) excitement from the finale of the latest installment of "The Bachelorette" has come to a bust.

DeAnna and Jesse have called it quits. NUTS! I really thought that they would make it work. Here's the article from People.

Oh well, can't wait to see Jason on his season of "The Bachelor" in January.

Tis the Season

Halloween...nope, it's over now. The election...yeah, like I would be excited about that. Thanksgiving...not yet. Christmas...PLEASE!

No. It is time for the start of the high school swim team season. John coaches a local high school swim team (Valley High School in New Kensington). Last season, I started swimming with the team as an attempt to start regular exercise without too much stress on my back. Well, that was the best idea that I ever had in terms of an exercise regime. I even joined a local club by our house in the off season and continued to swim at least 4 times a week.

Last year, I was swimming with the fastest kids (going last, of course). But it was so much fun and kids really seemed to enjoy having me there. Even when we went to various graduation parties this summer, they were always asking if I was coming back to swim.

John had a meeting on Monday for the team and then pre-season (non-mandatory) practices started on Tuesday. John and I both thought that it would be best if I would swim in one of the slower lanes, and gradually move down as the practices got tougher.

However, when I arrived at the pool on Tuesday afternoon, the lane the fewest amount of kids was of course the fastest lane. I figured that I would be fine for the first few weeks until they start to get back into shape, then I would start to move down. When I informed the kids that I would not be a permanent lane-mate, they were so disappointed. But then we told them why, and they were so excited.

My doctor we so pleased to hear that I swim regularly. But there were concerns that we had - How much is too much? Could I dive in? Should I at some point stop doing flip turns? We were told to keep my heart rate no higher than 140 (which is quite difficult...I have to sit out a 50 here and there). Diving in is going to be a no-no soon. Flip turns are fine, but I will reach a point when I just physically will not be able to do them anymore.

Now I have to start looking into maternity bathing suits, because my Speedos are not too comfy anymore. I am starting to get suit-hickeys - my fellow swimmers know what I am talking about. I am wondering if I just go up in sizes, would that be enough to cover the expanding belly. I am not showing by any means yet, but my gut has traveled north and looks much bigger then it ever has...not very happy about that. So, you could imagine how great that looks in a Speedo.

I am just happy that my schedule allows me to have such a regular exercise slot so that I can try to maintain a healthy life-style during this pregnancy. Because we all know that it will never be feasible with subsequent pregnancies!

This is when you know that people take things too far, Part 2:

This is unbelievable. Please see the October 23 post as a reference if you haven't seen it already.

Here is a follow-up story again from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette indicating that the whole story was a fabrication!

Seriously, people have to calm down...this is getting out of control!

Say Hi!

We had our 2nd doctor's appointment today. Everything seems to be progressing well. We heard the heartbeat for the first time (at a rate of 165!), which was amazing. What was more amazing was being able to catch a glimpse of the little one. Here is a profile:
And here's another one of the baby facing us.

It wasn't real until this afternoon! I was almost in denial that the big boobs, evening nausea, lack of the monthly visitor, and the extreme fatigue pointed to pregnancy. I needed the boost this afternoon to make it a complete reality!

This is when you know that people take things too far:

I am at my parents' house and watching CNN with my Dad, when they reported with breaking news about an assault that occurred in Bloomfield, which is a town just outside Pittsburgh. My Mom's family lived their for years after they immigrated here and I spent every weekend running up and down Liberty Avenue. Here is the article describing the incident from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Things like this make me happy to know that the election will be over in less than 2 weeks. But then again, what the hell is going to happen afterward - when either one wins?

Scary!

Made in Italy

Yes, it's true...John and I are expecting and the baby was conceived in Italy. So, I guess the vacation was an absolute success now! John has been jokingly saying that he wants to get a "Made in Italy" tattoo on the baby's behind. I said that we can just get a onesy made with that symbol instead. I am 12 weeks along, so almost done with my first trimester. We have our second doctor's appointment next week, and we should hear the heartbeat, which I am really excited about.

Answers to frequently asked questions:

When are you due? April 30

Are you going to find out the sex? Nope...we're excited for that one last surprise!

Have you chosen any names yet? We've discussed a few, but we are keeping those a secret till the baby is here.

How are you feeling? EXHAUSTED! I swear that I NEVER knew that pregnancy this early could make you this tired. I nap almost every day.

Do you get morning sickness? No, evening sickness. I am fine in the morning, which is a relief since I am at work at 5:30am on most days. I eat great for breakfast and lunch, go for a swim after work, nap when I get home, and then I want nothing to do with dinner. Peanut butter and jelly has been my savior!

Are you showing yet? No, although I feel like a fat ass and my pants are tight on me. I went out to buy comfy yoga-like pants, which I have been living in. I also purchased a "Tummy Tube" which allows you to wear your regular pants without buttoning or zipping them. I haven't tried it out yet, but I will soon.

So, that's the current run-down on the pregnancy. I am sure that many more updates will follow!

Finally Done!

After I downloaded, organized, and captioned all of our pictures from the cruise onto Snapfish, I ordered them. There are a lot of people who either don't have the internet or don't have the patience to wait for all of those pictures to download, so I knew that I was going to have to make albums.

I received the box of pictures about 2-3 weeks ago, and it has been lingering in our kitchen ever since. There were times when I wanted to put it somewhere else to rid us of the eye-sore (I CAN NOT stand clutter! - which I know will dwindle once we start having kids), but I kept it out as a constant reminder of what I had to eventually tackle.

And I finally did it - this weekend. Surprisingly, I only needed 2 albums. The large one holds all of the pictures from the cruise, while the small one holds the pictures from the hometowns. I even made little 4x6 cards to separate each port - indicating the date, port of call, and excursion - along with a description of what we did on each. I know, I sound a little too obsessive, but I don't want people to look at them and ask "Where is this?" and "When were you there?" when they flip every page.

Now I am considering even labeling each picture as I did on Snapfish. John says that I am nuts for even thinking it - but I am already forgetting names of the some of the churches and such.

What do you guys think?