Welcome to the Third Trimester!

Wow! I can't believe August is already upon us, and I am beginning my third and final trimester. Where did July go? It's amazing to think that we are two thirds of the way there, and we will be meeting our little guy in about 12 weeks. I now know why they call the second trimester the golden period of pregnancy. Up until last week I felt great. Other than some sharp kicks in the stomach, it was pretty easy to forget that I was even pregnant. Not anymore. My body has definitely welcomed me to the third trimester with some sure signs that I am indeed pregnant. I'm not complaining, because so far I think I have been really lucky. It's just that things are now, well, different. For one thing I have been blessed with daily spontaneous nose bleeds. At least two to three times a day my nose just starts gushing without warning. There is nothing more embarrassing than being in a meeting and just having your nose start dripping blood. I have also developed some really frustrating hip and lower back pain on my right side. It doesn't hurt when I'm sitting or laying down, only when I walk, and walking is a pretty central part to my day. It's not like you can just stop walking. So for now I'm getting around by way of a combination hobble/waddle. It's quite a sight, and it makes me feel more like I'm 80 than 30. I have to walk at a snail's pace, which takes patience, something I just don't have, and anything involving bending over has become quite a challenge. I never thought getting dressed could be so painful. By the time I get home from work, I'm practically in tears trying to crawl up the stairs on all fours. I've spent more money on at home remedies to try to ease the pain, but so far nothing has helped. Heating pads, ice packs, pregnancy belts, a Snoogle body pillow, yoga blocks for stretching, a foam roller for massage, you name it, I've tried it. Next week I'm going to a chiropractor to see if there is anything he can do. My doctor says all this stuff is normal, and that it is only going to get worse, so I'm just going to have to suck it up. Can't wait!!

It's Shower Time

We headed back home to Western New York last weekend for an action packed weekend of visiting with family and friends. The highlight of the weekend was a baby shower in my honor at Orchard Park Country Club on Saturday morning. It was a wonderful shower, and I'm so thankful everyone could be there. Our guests were so generous. We received so many amazing gifts. Our baby is so lucky to be welcomed into the world by such kind and loving family and friends. Some of the guests enjoying mimosas. Pina (an amazing family friend who I always forget is not actually related to us by blood), me, Susan (my godmother)and Lindsay (Kevin's girlfriend and quite possibly my future sister-in-law). It was great being able to catch up with people I hadn't seen in way too long.
My "helper" Alyssa.

My other "helper" Ava.

Sarah and Helen, my real helpers.

Michelle and Alyssa. Both in pink of course!

Some members of the Canali family.

Some of the Lilleys.

Aunt Sue, Aunt Fran and Susan.

A beautiful quilt handmade by Aunt Betty. I don't know where she gets the time to do this stuff!

Joanie and her favorite girl Ava looking adorable in her yellow dress.

Yankees warm up gear from Nana for our little Yankees fan. This was Jim's favorite gift of course.

Another adorable baseball outfit. There was definitely a theme. We better hope this kid likes baseball, and doesn't want to be a ballet dancer as it was suggested he might by his grandfather.


Pina's singing teddy bear was quite a hit.

Missy with Ava and Alyssa checking out the gifts. Not only did we get lots of baseball stuff to make Jim happy, we also received lots of blue and brown puppies, which are my favorite!

Mom and Grandma to be.

Even though it's not from the shower, I had to add one pic of me with the great-grandparents to be. I've been so blessed to have the most amazing grandparents anyone could ever ask for. I miss them so much, and I can't wait for them to meet their great grandson. I know they are just thrilled.

I just wanted to say one more thank you to Grandma Joanie for hosting the shower, and also thank all of our family and friends for being so generous. It was a wonderful but exhausting weekend. We got to see more family and friends than we have seen in a long time. Plus we got to eat pizza and wings, Ted's, Mighty Taco and Hibbard's custard. What more could you ask for?!

We'll be back again in less than 2 weeks for Jon and Al's wedding. Can't wait to see everyone again!

Down to Double Digits!

Only 99 days to go until my due date! Woo hoo! It seems like just yesterday we had over 200 days to go. Time is flying.

We spent last weekend continuing to get the house ready for the baby. We've had all kinds of people at our house doing work to get things in shape for the little munchkin. Last week we had a carpenter build custom shelves in our garage and kitchen. This week we had electricians installing fans, lights and outlets. The next step is figuring out what to do with our kitchen. I'm not sure remodeling our kitchen is something we want to take on right before we have the baby, but something has to be done to make our kitchen more cooking friendly. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I am not a fan of our current set up, and whoever designed this kitchen did not do a whole lot of cooking. It looks nice, but try to use it to prepare a meal and you'll understand. We are almost done getting the nursery cleared out and ready for Greg to paint and put up the border. Once that is done, it will feel like we really accomplished something. The final step will be getting Charlotte's very own Dog Wizard to come and train our very out of control pup. This is sure to be the most difficult step of all, but I'm not sure if it will be harder on him or me.

We've also decided to spend our last few months kid-free, enjoying dinners at restaurants we probably won't get to go to for a very long time. We had a fantastic Italian dinner at Fiamma on Saturday. It was no Fortuna's, but it was definitely the best Italian I've had in the South, which in my humble opinion is really hard to find. We're planning to take advantage of the time we have left before the baby arrives and make it to all the places in Charlotte we've been wanting to try. I made a list of 31 places, so I guess we'll be doing alot of eating! A perfect activity for a pregnant woman.


We're heading back to Western New York this coming weekend for a baby shower. We are looking forward to spending some time with both of our families and friends. I can't wait to see my grandma's reaction when she sees my pregnant belly for the first time and gets to feel the baby kick!

25 Weeks

Well here's a shot of the 25 week bump. There's no denying I'm pregnant now. My belly is definitely growing. I feel like I get bigger everyday. This week a woman at work actually asked me if my due date was really in October! Another guy asked me how much weight my doctor told me I could gain! I love my co-workers.

It's hard to believe that it was 5 weeks ago that I was passing the halfway point. I feel like it was just yesterday. June just flew by, and we are already approaching mid July. It seems like October is going to be here before we know it.

We had a wonderful long Fourth of July weekend at the beach with the Cockmans. We did alot of relaxing and a whole lot of eating - thanks to wonderful meals prepared for us by Mimi and Pops. Jim didn't change any diapers, but he did watch me a few times and told me it looked easy! He was very good with Ivey and seemed to really enjoy all the time we spent with her. She is at such a fun age that it is hard not to enjoy just watching her. We can't wait till next year when there will be even more kids around. Here is a picture of the dad-to-be in training.

Happy Independence Day!

The Fourth of July seems to mark the unofficial start of summer, and Jim and I, like many other North Carolinians, are headed to the beach for the long holiday weekend. We will be spending the 4th with our old friends the Cockmans at Emerald Isle Beach. Every year since moving to Charlotte, we have spent the 4th of July with the Cockmans. This year there will be a new addition to the festivities - Baby Ivey! Last year Caroline was pregnant for the Fourth of July, and Ivey was born on November 4. So with her due date being less than two calendar weeks behind what mine is this year, Caroline and Ivey are our benchmarks for everything pregnancy and baby related. I can look back and remember how Caroline looked last August and September and think that's what I'll look like this year. Then I think about how tiny Ivey seemed over Christmas and New Year's, and I think about how we'll have a baby the same size this year. It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year since Caroline and Steven were expecting Ivey. Now she's here and 8 months old, and Jim and I are expecting our first little one. Hopefully Jim and I will get some practice with Ivey this weekend, and maybe Jim will even change his first diaper!

Whatever your plans are for the holiday weekend, have a safe and happy Fourth!