10 Day Countdown!

Before I begin today's blog, I must update you on my McDonald's play if forward!   Last weekend before class I made my weekly trek to Mickey D's and got my Diet Coke.  In case you didn't read my earlier blog, a very kind woman in the drive through in front of me paid for my coke one week earlier, and I had pledged to play it forward the next week.  SO!  I pull into the drive through, and no one is behind me for the longest time!  Finally, who pulls in, but a HUGE Range Rover... yep... they need my charity!  Not only that, but they took about 10 minutes to order... "C'MON people!  I am trying to pay for your meal!  HURRY IT UP!"  I paid for my soda $1.57, and then their meal $12!!!!  I thought only Ron could wrack up that kind of bill at McDonald's.  I tried to watch their reaction, and they didn't seem to understand at all.... silly rich people :)  Anyway, it was all very much a fun social experiment and I am so excited to start it up again one day.  You should try it too!

For the first weekend since I can remember Ron and I had a quiet weekend at home!  Other than teaching a class Saturday at the gym we had ZERO plans, and it was everything that we could have hoped for!

So what did we do to fill our time?  Stalked our house, of course!  They are seriously rockin' and rollin', which I guess they should be since we are scheduled to close in 10 days.

Rec Room Bath

My Favorite Room - The master bath

Ron in the kitchen -- there is the other side of the fireplace!

Kitchen

What you don't see in the pictures are the beautiful floors that have been put in as well!  So pretty!  This weekend they stained the stairs as well, and when we went to visit yesterday, the plumber was there installing the fixtures.  What is left to do (that we know about)?  Carpeting and major paint work and cleaning!  Seems very doable!! Now we just have to deal with the mortgage/assessment/etc.  Won't life be boring in 2 weeks?  We can only hope. 

We also finally got over to see my friend (dating back to 4th grade) Erica Stallard.  Just 2 weeks ago Erica and I met at Bodos to grab lunch and do a little shopping at Babies'R'Us.  She was due 13 December and looked amazing (which was to be expected, as this was her second kid, and with Madison she looked like she had stuffed a basketball in her shirts, and lost the weight immediately after Madison was born).  Fast forward two weeks, and little (in every sense of the word) Meghan has arrived.  Though Meghan came over 8 weeks early, she is breathing completely on her own (strong like mama) and is doing well so far with her feeding tube.  Erica looks amazing as well, even though she is ready to be home and with Madison again.  It was great seeing her, and I am so blown away by how strong she has been through this!  LOVE YOU ERICA!!  See the Meghan sized diaper below... Ron and I had never seen anything so small!

Premie diaper - Doesn't even cover the width of my knee cap!!

Last night we had dinner with Hunter, Lisa and Lisa's sister, Lauren who was in town visiting. Javier also got to join and started the night out by clearing off the coffee table with his tail, including a large glass of red wine!  Two lessons learned here: 1.) We probably shouldn't have a coffee table and 2.) Lisa and Hunter are true dog people, as they didn't bat an eye.  The pups all got along great and also enjoyed the evening, which was so great because poor Javy spends way too much time by his lonesome!  Had venison for the first time ever as a meal, and it was pretty darn good!  A delicious dinner prepared by Lisa and some great dessert (s'mores and pumpkin cheesecake) followed by a solid game of CatchPhrase.  Not a bad end to a great weekend!

Finally, here is a belly update.  I am staying away from scales for a bit, so no numbers for ya'!

17 Weeks and 5 days

Oops! I did it again...

Yep!  Zulily strikes again! :)  And for a girl.  But you do agree that they are too cute to resist, no?  I also shopped one more time this weekend and got some super cute BOY onesies.  I am done... really I am.  

In addition to this news, we will be sending out invites very soon for our Gender Bender!  If you haven't heard of this before (I had not either until Kyle's girlfriend, Townsend informed me), it is a party where everyone finds out the gender of your baby for the first time by CUTTING A CAKE!  That's right, blue cake = boy and pink cake = girl!  It took some convincing to get Ron to agree to wait until the party, but he finally gave in!  So, the party will be held in our new home on 3 December 2011!  BE THERE!  

Speaking of our home, they are really on a roll this week!  We have gotten lighting, cabinets, flooring, and Ron's personal favorite (see below for evidence) our indoor/outdoor fireplace!  Sure to be great for those cool evening cookouts!  In anycase, if all goes well, we are feeling pretty good about our 10 November close date!  Please keep your fingers crossed!

This is on our DECK!!  Also on the inside in our kitchen! Come check it out! :)

C-A-P-S, CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!

We just had the most amazing weekend!  Ron's company sponsored an outing to a Washington Capitals game!  You know, the team in Washington the WINS!  Not only did we get to watch from box seats, not only did we get to eat unlimited popcorn, not only did the Caps win, BUT we got to meet the owner of the Caps (also owner or the Nationals and the Wizards) AND NHL hall of famer, Ron Langway (see photo below... I MET HIM!!)!  On top of that it was wonderful to spend some time with Ron, his friends, and Townsend and Kyle also made an appearance!

Baby is 16 weeks and 6 days old today.  The "bump" is now starting to make its appearance (see photo); hopefully it will take it slowly for the next couple of weeks until I can find some suitable clothing! :)  Ron and I are anxiously awaiting that first feeling of movement, but so far I am pretty sure it is just tummy grumbles.  Hopefully it is a sign that Baby Al is going to be a low key kid.

Rod Langway - NHL Hall of Fame Player

Baby's First Caps Game (Sorry Sabres friends, gotta support that red, white and blue!)

 On top of getting to see this amazing game (pulled off a 7-1 W over the Redwings; both undefeated going in), Piedmont has really made some headway on our home!  We have siding all the way around, stone work, and landscaping!  Inside, we have tiling, bathtubs and crown molding!  Countdown is on 'til scheduled closing!  17 DAYS!!

I guess the only other fun share right now is that all of my Zulily impulse buys have started to come in the mail :)  WHOOPS!  They were too cute to resist!  I have promised to be better... but really!  I would be so disappointed if I didn't buy these and couldn't find them down the road.

Oh yeah!  And one final note, CHARLY AND BRANDON ARE HAVING A GIRL! :)  Now I feel completely justified in the girl clothes that I have bought, because they will definitely get put to good use!

'Til next time.... signing out!  xoxo

Fall is Here!

Our weekend began with taking Mr. Lopez (Javier) out to the new house.  The Rivanna Trail is literally right out the front door, so we walked him through the trail, which was GORGEOUS, and Ron played a little football with him in the courtyard (see pic below).  The house is coming along, it's the yellow one in the background of the photo.  We have siding, a roof, a deck and drywall :)  

After our walk we decided it was only natural to want to eat a really greasy pizza from Pizza Hut.  This might have started as a preggo craving, but Ron backed it up, so I cannot be wholly responsible.  IT WAS HORRIBLE!  That place was the furthest thing from clean, and it took us over an hour and a half to get WATER!!  Needless to say, when you have your heart set on something, you are willing to wait for it.  It was pretty delicious, but we both had tummy aches afterward.  WHOOPSIE!

Saturday I taught BodyStep/BodyPump Interval, which has been even more challenging than usual with my lack of energy from little Al.  My ritual (though I am sure many will scoff) is to go through McDonald's for a Diet Coke beforehand (tiny reward).  This time was different though, I ordered, pulled through to the window to pay, and the cashier said "No need to pay, the woman in front of you took care of it."  The lady in the car ahead of me paid for my order!!!  I was so happy!  She made my day.  Next Saturday I plan to pay it forward.  Yes, I will be going to McDonald's again this Saturday :)  

After class Ron and I ran some errands which included picking up some Starr Hill Pumpkin Ale (Boxcar), some Pumpkins, and getting gasoline.  We were headed to Alexandria for his friend and co-worker Don, and his wife Lisa's annual pumpkin carving party!  This trip that would normally take about two hours took three and a half.  ARGH traffic!  But we finally made it, and the results were fantastic (see Ron's first Jack'o'lantern below).  We had an amazing time and a ton of laughs, but we weren't laughing when I drove us back to Ashburn that night.  We were stuck on 495 for TWO AND A HALF HOURS!  That's right... midnight to 2:30 a.m., preggy bladder, and Ron bladder after a brew or two... stuck!  It was NOT FUN! It made us both appreciative of the fact that we live in Charlottesville, where even the worst traffic jams are not THAT bad.  

OH!  And on top of all of the great things that happened this weekend, how 'bout them Hoos!?  WAHOO WAH!  There is no way Ron won't let me hang the UVA flag outside our house if we win big like we did last weekend! 

Finally, we had our monthly appointment at the OB yesterday, and I have gained a whopping 9 pounds!  That nurse just wouldn't quit sliding the little weighty thingy up the scale!  They say it's a good thing, but Ron and I have pledged to stay away from Pizza Hut for a while.  Baby Al's heartbeat is strong.  Our next appointment will be 14 November, and our BIG ultrasound will be on 1 December.  We cannot wait to find out what gender you are, Little Al!

Our Very Very Fine House, with a Javy and a Ron in the Yard

Ron's Very First Jack'o'lantern!

What Hurts the Most

I am sure that when anyone gets pregnant, they go through certain withdrawals when they remove things from their diets and routines.  Since Baby Al was a surprise, it was like waking up one morning and having a handful of your favorite things disappear.... SHOCKER!

After talking to my mom and some other friends, I know that some of these "no-no's" are new since she was pregnant with her beautiful daughter (that's me!) and charming son (that's Kyle), and we turned out just fine (didn't we, mom!?); but for Ron and my sanity, we will follow doctor's orders (as closely as possible).

So the things that have been most hard to give up (in no particular order):

• Pumpkin Ale
• Pumpkin Ale
• Pumpkin Ale

Just kidding, mom!  

• Diet Coke (caffeine is not good for, Al)
• Deli meat if not heated (Bodos is NOT the same post microwave, ewa!)
• Sushi [sobbing]
• Any meat not well done [Sniffling]
• Pumpkin Ale [FULL BLOWN HYSTERICS]
• Hot tubs and heating pads (horrible timing for the fall and winter for someone who is eternally cold)
• Excederin (the only drug that alleviates my headaches)
• Horseback riding 

I think that maybe God decided that we shouldn't have these things so that they can be our consolation once the baby comes and we need something (other than that precious little one) to cheer us up after a sleepless night. Maybe?!

Really it has been less difficult than I felt it would be when the nurse broke the news, but nonetheless is a change in lifestyle! 

Building & Growing

There was very little time for us to sit around and thing about all of the changes that were taking place in our lives.  The fight or flight kicked in and we decided to fight.  We fell head over heels for both the builder, Piedmont, and the neighborhood, Belvedere, and quickly signed a contract for the "Ja-ja-ja-ja-G-Unit." What! What!? (See Pic #1 & Pic #2 below).  

This house has been so much fun!  We have picked out everything from the crevices in the doors, to the placement of the lights, to the cabinetry.  We really hope that all of our selections don't clash once they are in place :)  We go by the house almost daily now, because it is so exciting to see the little or big progress that has been made each time.  We will continue to post our photos as it comes along!  Expected close date of 10 November.  With any luck at all, we will host our first Thanksgiving here! 

                                                                        House Pic #1

House Pic #2

While the builders were fast and furiously pouring cement and putting up 2x4's, my body was busy pumping twice as much blood as usual through my body (causing bathroom breaks to become MUCH more frequent) and creating thousands of cells which would become Baby Al (see Baby Al photo below).  We had our first ultrasound on 12 September, and that made everything a little more real for us!  The ultrasound put us at 10 weeks and 6 days. Al is quite the good dancer!  His favorite move that day was the break dancer arm roll (picture the wave starting at one hand and progressing through your right arm, into your left arm and ending at your left fingers). The Doc said all was well and as it should be, and we left feeling a little more like parents than we were before we went in.  

Baby Al (Short for Alien) at 10 wks 6 days

It wasn't until about the millionth look at the ultrasound, 4 hours after our appointment) that I decided Al's head protruded a little too much for my liking and decided to freak out, which I think actually might have had a small affect on Ron as well.  We decided not to have any testing done for Downs, etc. and now I was rethinking that decision.  As we showed more friends, and after my second follow-up appointment (when the Doctor all but laughed at my concern), we decided to calm down a bit, and just chalk it up to genetics (Ron's large bald head and my side of the family's neanderthal foreheads.  I say both with the utmost affection!  MUAH!!). 

So there ya' have it!  Our whole life in progress as of mid-September!

How this blog got its name

A couple of weeks into the pregnancy, all was going well.  I felt great, other than being a little tired, and everything seemed to be progressing.  We had picked out where we wanted to live, Ron had started the loan process, and he had told the appropriate people at work the situation at hand so that we could start the wheels in motion to hopefully get him moved back down to C'ville.

This is a huge secret to keep, so we each had our confidants... mine was Mary Goodhall, long time friend and co-worker who could keep a good secret and as a mother of two beautiful girls, a great person to seek advice.  Ron confided in Tom, the man who so graciously allowed him to squat in his home for 9 months in D.C.  (thank you, Tom!).  Needless to say, this small circle increased pretty quickly.... I HAD to tell Kate G., because she recently gave birth to my lovely adopted niece, Grace!  Kate and I met for lunch one day, and I invited Amanda Browning to join.... I didn't have to say a word to Amanda... it went a little something like this:

Amanda:  Your boobs are HUGE!  Is there something that you need to tell me!?
Me: [three shades of pink] YES!  Ron and I are having a baby!

B-U-S-T-E-D!!

Ron also told a couple of friends from work.  At this point I felt like I was really not able to enjoy the beginning of this magical time, because the weight of telling Kathy and Guy (my parents) was baring on me.  Plus, who better to discuss all of the "beautiful" changes that occur during pregnancy with than your mother!?!?  Ron and I had decided early on that we would wait to tell family and friends until after the first trimester; being that our pregnancy was not planned, we figured there was no sense in raising a ruckus when there was still a high percentage chance for miscarriage. That being said, Kathy and Guy were making the annual journey back to Danville from their summer in NY and were stopping through C'ville for the night.  As their arrival approached I called Ron to tell him that if the opportunity presented itself, I wanted to spill the beans.  He agreed.

Mom and Dad arrived and went to dinner with Donny and Teresa while Ron and I attended Lisa and Hunter's ENGAGEMENT PARTY!!  (So much fun!)  We joined them for their dinner afterwards and got a kick out of Teresa's subtle comments about wanting to be a grandmother :)  Ron ordered a beer that didn't arrive until right as everyone was leaving.  I gave him a dirty look and told him we were missing our opportunity, so he ditched the brewski (he doesn't really like South Street anyway) and we headed home in nervous silence.  We walked into the house and the parentals were in the living room watching baseball.  PERFECT!!!!!!

My thoughts: "I must tell them now before I throw up and before Dad decides he needs to go to bed (it was wayyyy past his bedtime!)."

Ron's thoughts:  CLUELESS

"Mom... Dad.... We have some exciting news!  You're going to be Grandparents"  [CRICKETS]

Mom:  "You're getting another puppy!?"

Ron: Nervously  "Erin and I are having a baby."

Apparently Ron didn't realize that I was going to tell them so quickly and was taken completely off guard.  Whoopsie!  Mom and Dad handled it in the best way that we could have hoped for. And after several very legit questions and concerns, I think that they might have even been a little bit excited!

And so our blog got its title :)

What now!?

It was determined after that early morning call, that we were having a baby!! (Saying/typing it now makes my heart skip a beat (from joy); saying it then made my heart skip a beat (in trepidation).

Ron, being the amazing man that he is, drove down to Charlottesville that night, but I had a prior engagement,... my friend and co-worker, Lauren's baby shower!  Talk about a timely preview of what was to come!  It was a great time, but my head was filled with a million questions.  For those of you who don't know me, I like to be in control.... that morning blew my control factor to smithereens!  After the lovely shower, I went home to find Ron there.

He informed me that he was going to try to get his job back in Charlottesville.  No words have ever sounded so sweet.

When Ron left Thursday morning at 4 a.m. we had a solid gameplan.... he was going to try to move back, we were going to buy a house, and we were excited about the new journey that we were embarking on. [Screeching halt sound]  WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!?

Only a few small obstacles stood in the way:

• Telling our families (especially my folks)
• Ron getting his job
• Actually buying a house
• NOT telling everyone else in our worlds, then
• Telling everyone else in our worlds
• Getting through the first trimester 

And these obstacles, my friends, will make up the next few blogs to get ya' up to date!

The Beginning!

Well it has been one whirlwind of a three months here in little ole' Charlottesville Virginia.  Where to even begin, I don't know!?!

I guess we can start from the very beginning!  Ron and I met in August of 2010 at Live Band Kareoke at Felinis!  He was bald, big, and totally my type :)  We got off to a slow start, but began seriously dating in December, right when.....he moved to Washington, D.C.  O.K., Washington is only about 2 hours from Charlottesville, why not give it a whirl!  So we did!

Fast forward 9 months [fastforward sound]....

The setting: 6:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. Ron is fast asleep.  Erin calls and wakes Ron from a dead sleep -- "Ron" a groggy response of "hey." "Call me back when you wake up." "No.  I'm up.  What's up." "I'm pregnant." "WHAT?"..... SILENCE, for what seemed like an eternity.  Finally Ron says "I'm kind of excited."

And so begins our story :)

                                                           And he wrastles gators :)