My first Georgetown Tee

As pics from my shower come pouring in I thought I would post some for those of you that could not make it.

The shower was this past Sunday at La Locanda. If I had to guess there were about 60+ people there. Needless to say Simon got a TON of presents. As usual I feel so blessed to have so many generous people in my life. My son is one lucky little guy.

It was so fun to see my friends from DC who were kind enough to roadtrip up for the occasion. It was also great to see my best friend from high school, Angela, whom I never get to see anymore as our lives get busier and busier.

My mom's friend Josephine pats my belly.

Piles and piles of gifts!

Handmade blanket from Zia Rosina.


Simon's first Georgetown Tee.


Sofia checks out the presents.


Mom and Dad to be!

All in all it was a great day! When we took all our presents home it was fun to look through again and see it all...Simon is going to be one well dressed baby that is for sure. It was great to spend time with Pat and Jen who came down from NY and then Marianne who was visiting from Gettysburg.

Dan has already put the stroller/travel system together as well as some other items...I still am not sure where we are going to put everything!!!

We have another appointment next week so I will update you with Simon's stats...we are in the home stretch people!!!!

Our little man

So I went to the Doc today for the 28 week appt and was lucky enough to get another ultrasound. The tech let us see Simon on the 3D screen for a minute and this is what we saw

You have to use your imagination...it's kind of like that picture of the woman that if you look at it long enough it looks like a cat. I see a nose and eye and a mouth - his hand is in front of his face (as usual) so it was hard to get a clear shot. Anyway, he has supper chubby cheeks and weights 3.3lbs and measures 15 inches. I was in love before and now I am 100% super-dooper in love with my son. I cannot wait to meet him...11 more weeks!!!

Now I get to go to the Doc every two weeks - the perks of the 3rd trimester - and they will do another ultrasound in 4 weeks (so they say - this is a perk of being AMA (of advanced maternal age - ie 35). I am not complaining...the more I get to see my baby the better!!!

What an amazing thing to see on the 7th anniversary of the WTC and Pentagon attacks. To think on that day I was one of thousands fleeing Washington DC as the city evacuated. I had to find a different route home since my usual route took me by the Pentagon. The next morning when I left for work I stepped out my front door and could smell the Pentagon still burning from a few miles away. Such sadness and loss. 7 years later I feel proud that I am able to remember this day by celebrating life.

Has anyone seen...

...my feet? I cannot seem to locate them. Where they once were are only stub like appendages. Lucky me I have 12 weeks to go.

Hats off to Labor Day!

Has it been 2 weeks since my last post already? Sheesh where does the time go? I hope everyone is enjoying Labor Day...I know many are headed back to work/school/life tomorrow so I hope you enjoy this last day off.

I leave you with a new pic of my awesome niece...because she is the cutest.

Ciao!!!

Rocking and Rolling

I actually got a whole 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night. I usually wake up 3 times a night to pee or re-adjust my position to alleviate my aching back. So I am up early enjoying some quiet time before Dan awakes, reading my blogs and having some coffee.

Simon is also awake and literally rolling around in my belly, kicking and punching. My belly looks like a popcorn popper - sporadically bulging out here and there. It is the strangest feeling this little person inside of me. I have a constant companion, one who loves to let me know he is here, especially when it sit or lie down.

My doctor says lots of activity is a sign of a healthy baby...I think it is also a sign of hyperactivity. If he is this active in utero I can ONLY imagine what he will be like once he is out. So much for uninterrupted sleep!!!

Sweet baby girl

It has been a while since I posted a pic of my niece.

Isn't she such a big girl? Here she is in Italia on vacation this summer. Really she is the cutest baby girl ever. Me love.

Oooh Baby Baby

I finished registering today and am quite pleased with all of my registry items. I have to admit I was NOT looking forward to this. Lately I have had a serious inability to make up my mind about anything so deciding on what to register for seemed like almost an impossible task especially in this day and age of completely unnecessary and superfluous baby items at our disposal. I mean do people really need a little purse for their pacifiers? Can't the passy just go in the diaper bag? This is only one of a million examples of stupid things which you can buy at Babies R Us and The Right Start.

Here are some of my favorite things I registered for at BRU:

The Carini Bambini diaper bag. This bag is sooooo cute and only $25!!! They have it in pink too. I suspect I will have more than one diaper bag...I want a Vera Bradley one too but I could not resist this one. I got a Diaper Dude for Dan as well...so he does not have to be embarassed carrying this one.

This humidifier will match the baby bedding. I mean seriously, how freaking cute can you get? For those of you that know my obsession with cows this will make perfect sense. I hope it works well because I will be sad if I have to return it!



Seeing as Simon will be arriving during football season it is only appropriate that he has some Eagles gear to help him cheer the team on when he watches the game with Daddy. It is really soft too.

We also registered at The Right Start which has some cool organic and more unique things than BRU. Here are my favs from Right Start:



I love this blanket. My friend Suzie has a similar one and it is great to spread on the grass or on the sand. We will definitely use it when we go to see Daddy play softball next spring.



I got the Mary Jane version of these socks for Sofia. I am so glad they make them for boys too. Although I will admit the girl ones are so much cuter.



Last but not least...I got this for Sofia also but I wanted my own copy. I also registered for the Bob Marley and Beatles versions as well. Sofia loves her Coldplay one and listens to it every night before bed. I wonder when she is older if she will have a subconscious narcoleptic reaction whenever she hears a Coldplay song. I guess we will have to wait and see. They also make Led Zeppelin and The Cure which I may buy later on at Amazon...I mean serious what a great gift for a music lover who is about to have a baby...why did I not think of this!!!

My shower is in Sept so I will keep you posted with more pics of the cute things I get. Yay!!!

What a Croc

Ok, I finally broke down and bought a pair of Crocs. In my defense, they are flip flops, but they are still Crocs. Now I know why people are so smitten with them. These may be the most comfortable pair of flip flops on the planet. Behold the Croc Capri in Charcoal/Sea Foam:

My feet have never felt so happy - and trust me lately they have been hating me and all of my shoes...even my beautiful Italian In Blu shoes do not make my feet happy anymore. Sigh...I hope once Simon arrives that my feet will go back to normal and I can wear my shoes again. Until then I can only look at my beloved Italian shoes and wear my Crocs. At least my feet don't hurt anymore!

Big Belly

My belly at 22 weeks...huge.

Here I am with my brother who just got home from Italy. Clearly I am huge...and I still have a long way to go. I am already having trouble sleeping because of the discomfort...what will happen in Nov?

The District of Crafts

So one thing I miss about being in DC is the amazing range of the people that I came to know and call friends. Not that my friends in Philly are not fabulous, they are, but the DC crew, while diverse, was an exceptional group of people.

Case in point, Karen, whom I met through my ex-roommate Gina. Karen is the proud owner of Ipso Crafto an adorable craft store on Capitol Hill. I am sad to say that I have never been to this store since I just learned about it...but if I lived in DC I would definitely have signed up for sewing lessons ASAP. You can also book parties and such - what a great idea and a great way to introduce crafting to your kids.

Karen in front of her store.

Karen is essentially living out one of my many dreams...owning your own boutique. This is something that I have always wanted to do. Seeing as I have ZERO business sense and maybe even less fashion sense I never really got past the daydreaming stage. Although when I sold my house I did for a brief second think about purchasing a franchise of the Italian brand Calzedonia which sells bathing suits, socks and pantyhose. Check out their website - their Summer 08 collection is amazing...sigh. Then I realized how much work that would be and I know that starting a family would take priority so I went back to school for teaching instead.

So for those of you in DC and looking for fabric and thread, stop by and say hello to Karen. Then buy some pretty fabric and sew me and Baby Simon something nice...just kidding...ok not really :P

Tomorrow we are off to Altoona, PA for Dan's brother's wedding...I will try to remember my camera and post pics - I got an amazing dress for only $9.99 at Motherhood Maternity which I am excited to wear with my new Guess shoes (NOT flip flops for once). Have a good weekend everyone!

Math for Dummies

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am taking a math class at Montgomery County Community College during Summer Session II. The class is a 100 level class for Freshmen. I am the second oldest student. There is another pregnant woman in the class but she looks about 10 years younger than me. Everyone else looks about 18 years old. One girl, the one who has "lost" her text and always shares with me is taking this class for the second time. A shocker since she is always blatantly text messaging while the professor is explaining things and then has no idea what is going on.

Why am I doing this, you may ask? Well, in order to teach in the glorious state of Pennsylvania you need to have taken 2 semesters of college level math at some point in your educational career.

Now most people that go to college take some sort of math or statistics or econ class. How did I get out of math you may ask? Well at Georgetown, as a language major, you can choose between math or science. A brilliant choice that I made wisely so that I would never have to deal with variables and equations again. Until I made a career change and decided to become a teacher.

Here is the dialogue between the Dean of the Graduate Program at Cabrini and myself during my admissions interview:

Dean: "So I was looking at your transcript and I don't see any math on here."
Me: "Well as a language major I did not have to take math. I could take science instead."
Dean: "I see. Well, you are going to have to fix that. You can't get your certification without 2 semesters of college math."
Me: "I don't understand, I am applying to the READING specialist program. What does that have to do with math?"
Dean: "Absolutely nothing. But even so it is the requirement in Pennsylvania."
Me: "Um, but I went to Georgetown. Doesn't that count for something?"
Dean: "No. It doesn't."

So now that I am almost finished the program and hoping to student teach in the fall of 2009 I need to get those math classes in.

Registering for the class was a trauma in itself. I faxed in the application/registration form and a nice lady from Montco Registration called me almost immediately to discuss why she could not register me. Apparently I had to take a placement test. I told her there was no way I would have "time" to come to Montco and take a placement test - what else could I do to register?

Registrar Lady: "Do you know what you scored on your Math SAT? Was it above a 550?"
Me: "Um, lady, I took my SAT's in 1990. It may have been above a 550 - it was a 1250 combined - but I am not sure about the math portion."
RL: "Well if you have an official copy of your scores you can fax them over. If not you can call the College Board and have them sent for a fee."
Me: "Fine give me their number."

Determined NOT to have to take a placement test that I would surely fail, I contacted the College Board. $70 later the girl on the other end...who may or may not have been born in 1990 assured me that my scores would arrive in a week. (BTW, I got a 590 on my math SAT - shocking really since my math skills in high school were borderline special needs).

So here I find myself home on a Sat night studying for my first math test in 17 years. The material is not so bad - basic Algebra and Linear Equations - but I am still nervous.

The moral of this post is...be careful when you take the easy way out...you never know when it will come back to haunt you.

Franks and Beans

We had our ultrasound today.

It was very obvious that we are going to be parents of a bouncing baby boy!!!

Baby Simon at 20 weeks.

Here he is. I spared you the anatomy verification picture. Why embarrass him in utero. I have plenty of time to post embarrassing pics after he is born.

He was VERY active all throughout the ultrasound and was hanging out with his hands above his head. At one point he even made a "hang 10" sign with his fist. Then he preceded to yawn...maybe we were boring him? I am happy to report that he looks healthy and is growing on schedule. I cannot wait to meet him in November - our very own little Thanksgiving Turkey!!!

We have settled on the name Simon Patrick - not my first choice but Dan hated my other choices so we compromised....I get to name the next one no matter if it is a boy or a girl. We will call him Simone (pron. See mo neh) when he is Italy and Simon here...that way my Nonna will be able to pronounce his name.

Now to pick out the bedding...

Verdi Cries

I finally finished my memoir for my writing class which ended Friday. I was unable to share it with the class on Friday so I think I will share it with you all here. On Friday I was fortunate enough to hear some of my classmates read their memoirs out loud. They were really well written one in particular made me cry. I was so thankful that my classmate trusted us enough to share some very dark moments in her life...I feel the more richer for having been a part of the community that got to share in her pain.

Anyway, I should be back to regular blogging this week - starting tomorrow with the results of our ultrasound.

Feel free to leave any feedback about my memoir in the comments section below.

It was the spring of 1990. It was official. I was a student of archeology. When my Latin teacher, Ms. Reidel had told me about the Summer Classics Program (SCP), I was a bit hesitant. I was only a Junior. Did I want to give up one night a week to schlep down to St. Joe’s University to take a night class for college credit? My schedule this spring was already a bit tight. Lacrosse, stage crew, Lit Mag and SAT prep left me with little time after school for much else.

“This is the first year that they are opening it up to girls,” she said. “There are only four spots and I want you to have one of them.” Then she mentioned the “on site” component. At the end of the semester the group would spend one week in Rome, two days on the island of Capri and five days in Sorrento.

Two weeks in Italy? Without my parents? With twenty guys from the Prep? During the World Cup? (Italy was hosting that year.) I looked at this opportunity with the practical eye of a 16 year old girl who attends a same sex school. Aside from our professor, I would be the only one on the trip that would speak Italian fluently. These twenty boys would NEED me. I saw myself surrounded by handsome young men, all vying for my attention as I helped them order a gelato or translated for them at a bar while we watched a soccer match. Italy was such a magical place there was no way that these boys would NOT fall in love with me. By the end of the trip I would have a boyfriend for sure. At the very least I would have my pick of them for a senior prom date. I told Ms. Reidel I was definitely in.

We arrived in Rome on a hot June day. By then, I had met the boys that I prematurely decided would escort me to the prom and realized that there were only a few acceptable candidates. My roommate was to be a girl from my high school named Eva. There were two other girls from my high school on the trip as well. My odds were looking good. On the plane I planned out the strategies that would have these “chosen” boys fawning over me by dinner the next day.

Then a funny thing happened. As soon as I set foot on Italian soil these potential escorts took a back seat to the magic of the Eternal City. I had visited Rome before with my family but never as a student of archeology. Our fearless leader, Dr. Bender, was a time wizard. With every lecture at every site we were drawn back into the past and soon we felt like we were actually living in the time of the Caesars.

If I had lived 2000 years ago would I have been a slave girl worth practically nothing and looked down upon by those I served? Perhaps I would have been the daughter of an aristocrat, married at age 12, mother of many children one of whom would become a senator. Dr. Bender gave us a truly special look into this timeless city. A place that would live on long after our footsteps and daydreams had passed through.

While our days were filled with time travel our nights were filled with soccer. Hosting the World Cup had transformed Rome that summer. Some of the games were even being played at the Stadio Olimpico right there in Rome. Azzurri fever was sweeping the city and we gladly let ourselves get caught up in the tidal wave.

Three days after my 17th birthday we visited the Capitoline Museums. It was late afternoon and the museums were already closed for the day. Dr. Bender, who by that time we had dubbed Caesar himself, had managed to find a way for us to visit the museums after hours.

The origins of these museums trace back to 1471 and Pope Sixtus IV who donated a bunch of valuable bronze statues to the people of Rome for exposition. Almost 600 years later the collection contains mostly pieces from Roman antiquity, possibly the largest collection in the world.

I had never been in a museum when it was closed. Without the tourists and general crowds the place was transformed and held almost a sacred quality. Our footsteps resonated through the ancient halls with nothing but statues and pieces of antiquity to muffle them. Dr. Bender explained statue after statue and again we were teleported back to a time even more ancient then the Caesars.

We were introduced to Romulus and Remus, twin brothers who were abandoned then taken in by a she-wolf who fed them and kept them alive. Romulus would later found the city of Rome. We had studied this ancient bronze back in our classroom at St. Joe’s. Now we were standing in front of it looking it at with our own eyes, connecting with a part of history that was older than time itself. As had already happened several times since arriving in Rome, I was overcome with emotion and an incredible sense of how immensely lucky I was to be standing here in this moment creating my own memories and my own history.

As Dr. Bender led us back out to the main entrance we passed a lone security guard huddled around a black and white TV set. Italy was playing Team USA that night at the Stadio Olimpico here in Rome. No wonder Dr. Bender had been given permission to let us in the museum that night. No one would be out on the streets. Every single person in Rome would be at the stadium, which holds 80,000 people or glued to a TV set or in one of the many piazzas that was showing the game on huge screens set up for the occasion. Rome’s antiquities were in no danger of being compromised that night. Our guard was so caught up in the game he did not even realize that we had left the building.

The outside space in between the museums is called the Campidoglio and was designed by Michelangelo himself. Dr. Bender led the group to the top of the courtyard. As we looked over the railing the Roman Forum sprawled out before us. It was dusk and the soft purple light made the ancient ruins look enchanted. We were all silenced by this magic and as we looked over the timeless columns and stones, we allowed what Dr. Bender had been telling us all week to just sink in.

Suddenly a collective cry arose from across the city of Rome. It started out softly but immediately grew into a loud and joyful noise. Startled my classmates looked at each other. I smiled. What else could possibly wake the Eternal City from its slumber?

“Gooooooooaaaaaaaallllllll” screamed the security guard running out the door of the museum and in our direction. We were the only ones around for him to share his excitement with. It did not hurt that Italy had scored against Team USA a fact that I am sure was not lost on the security guard that had the bad luck of having to baby sit a bunch of American students on the night of a world cup game.

Knowing the chaos that would ensue if Italy won the game, Dr. Bender wisely corralled us back to the hotel with strict instructions not to wander outside. Luckily for me our room faced the Via della Conciliazione, a huge main street in Rome which leads to St Peter’s Basilica. I invited a bunch of the guys back to our room and from our open window my classmates and I were able to celebrate Italy’s victory from a safe distance. It had been an incredible few days and in the morning we would be leaving for Campania where the next phase of our trip would begin.

When all was said and done I was escorted to my prom by one of my SCP classmates. The trip had not produced the boyfriend I had so desperately wanted. Instead it gave me the gift of a best friend, Ed, who in the end was gracious enough to escort me to my senior prom when no other prospects were in sight. Ed and I lost touch after college but I will always fondly remember those two weeks in Italy where as Natalie Merchant in her song Verdi Cries so wisely sang “All is memory, taken home with me.”

Eva and Paola, Rome, Coloseum, June 11, 1990

Stalled

I deeply apologize for the lack of posts. Last Monday I started up with grad school again and this one particular class "The Teaching of Writing" while enjoyable is grueling. Since we meet every day for 2 weeks we have a semesters worth of reading and writing to do in 14 days. It is not easy, especially when you struggle to keep your eyes open during the readings. I had to take a break and blog so that I would not fall asleep.

We went out and bought a scanner/copier/printer today so on July 14 when we have our next ultrasound we will be able to share a picture of our little one with the world. I really hope that baby is in the right position to see the gender...I don't know if I can wait until Nov to find out. The baby has started moving around now and I can feel it. It is such an odd sensation, like little hiccups or flutters in your belly. I didn't even realize that it was the baby moving until it started happening every day.

I have officially become and emotional mess as well. We had our lit circle in class on Thurs. For those those not in the know, a Lit Circle is like a well organized "book club" for students. Each student is assigned a role (Discussion Director, Word Wizard, Illustrator, etc) and then the book is discussed with each person contributing their share. The book we discussed was Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson. It is a pretty emotional book and I cried like a baby while reading it. I also burst into tears during the lit circle much to the dismay of my fellow lit circle members. It is awful how little it takes to set me off and I never know when it is going to happen. I suspect this is why I have been a recluse these past couple of weeks, not leaving the house and watching far too much television.

Ok, I guess I should get back to reading. I have to start working on my memoir as well which is due on Friday. Tomorrow night I also start my Math class at Montgomery County Comm College...don't even get me started...there will be a huge post on the evils of math soon enough.

A dopo.

Mentally still on vacation

Dan and I arrived back from Italia safe and sound on Saturday. The trip was great - aside from the horrific swelling of my feet which made me look like Clubfoot Sally. Thankfully they have returned to their normal size.

We started our trip on the Amalfi coast...it is such a beautiful place I highly recommend stopping there if you are every in Italy. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Excelsior a beautiful hotel perched on the cliffs above Amalfi.

The view from our hotel room.

I posted a review of the hotel with more pictures on Trip Advisor. You can read all about it here.

The weather was ok not great but luckily on the day we went to Capri the weather was magnificent. We took a small boat there with 4 other couples. We represented USA, England, Ireland, France and Germany and we had a blast together. The boat circled the island and then let us off in Marina Piccola so that we could wander the island for 5 hours.

I Faraglioni

The view of Marina Piccola from the town of Capri.

For those of you who have never been, Capri is home to hundreds of high end boutiques rivaling those of New York and Rodeo Drive. Dan and I walked around a bit and ogled in clothes in the windows - my favorite was the display at Roberto Cavalli - I did not take a picture as I did not want to seem too tacky...yet I digress.

The beach where we waited for our boat to pick us up.

It was a great day. I was so tired I even took a nap on the way back, lulled by the waves of the sea and the sun beating down on me. I was in heaven.

The next day we rented a car and drove to my mom's house in Abruzzo. More to follow....

SaTC Mania

Sorry for the lack of posting. We leave for Italy tomorrow and it has been a hectic last few weeks. I do have a new sonogram pic but I do not have a scanner (something that will be remedied upon our return) so I cannot post the pic. I went for my sequential screening on Wed and little baby Y would NOT cooperate for the sonogram tech or the doc. S/he was all snuggled up - not wanting to turn her/his head in the right position so they could check his/her neck (for Downs Syndrome). They were able to get a picture to work with eventually. The baby looked so cute - s/he was waving at one point and I could see him/her making sucking motions with his/her mouth. I will have my next sonogram in July when we will be able to see if it is a boy or a girl. I promise to post when we know.

Today I went to see the 12:30 pm showing of Sex and the City. I went by myself since all my fantastic SaTC-like friends are in DC. I was surprised to see that the theater was almost full. There was only 1 man there (with his wife) and all the rest were groups of women of all ages. Which really proves that this show touched all sorts of women everywhere. Seeing as these women where there in the middle of the day they chose to see this movie and I was really surprised by the age range of the women. Anyway, enough about the demographics.

Words cannot describe how great this movie is. If you are a SaTC fan, you will love this movie. It was perfect. I cried, I laughed, I envied the fashion...it was like a whole season in one movie. Truly perfect. I will not give anything away - but if you like me found yourself identifying on a weekly basis with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samatha then you will be so satisfied with this movie. OK, now go and see it.

Hockey Fans Are Not Like Other Fans

We have been watching a lot of hockey in our household, what with the Flyers battling the Penguins for the Conference Championship and all. The Flyers are down 2 games but we have high hopes despite 2 defensemen out already that they can come out on top.

I usually read during the game and occasionally pay attention to the commercials. This one has to be my favorite, hands down. I can only imagine my hockey player/fan husband when our baby is born.

For your viewing pleasure

Happy Mother's Day!

My wonderful husband was kind enough to buy a mother's day present for me from our future baby. Of course it made me cry - what doesn't these days - and made me love him even more.

He is going to be such a great dad!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and moms-to-be!!!! You deserve it!

Stationary addict

I love note cards. I mean it. I have a whole draw devoted to fun and cute note cards that I have picked up over the years - my latest find - $1.00 packs of 10 note cards with fruit on them from Michael's Arts and Crafts.

This year I received the cutest note cards from one of my students for Christmas. They were pink and green with bubbles and my name (my MARRIED name - in print for the first time) printed on the front. I fell in love even more so when I realized that they came from Kramer Drive a stationary company owned by another one of my student's mom's. The cards were beautiful and I am sad to say I have used them all already.

Check out Kramer Drive and see for yourself...the baby announcements are especially precious...I cannot wait to pick one out for my little peanut when s/he arrives.

Poaching

I know I keep stealing things from my SIL blog but how freaking cute is this video of Sofia on a swing?



My brother tries to take her out and she has a mini-fit...but then is so adorable as she loses herself in the swinging!!! Anth, what are you going to do when she gets older?

I am ready for my close up

Sigh...it's so hard with all the paps around...a girl can't even go our for a walk without being recognised!

New wheels, Hawaiian Food and Hairspray

We have had a busy weekend. Dan purchased a new car on Friday. Behold our new 2008 Honda Accord

It is a pretty sweet car. Dan has never had a new car before and he is so pleased with it's effecient gas milage and sleek look. RIP Dodge Dakota Truck...you will be missed (a little).

Last night we had dinner downtown at Roy's. Dinner was so good - despite the fact that I cannot have alcohol or sushi or certain types of fish. Luckily they had a pretty extensive selection of fish so I did have some yummy Mahi Mahi (which I can have once a month) and Dan had a delicious Butterfish. In short dinner was spectacular.

After dinner we went to see Hairspray at the Academy of Music. I think this may have been one of the best musicals I have seen - and I have seen a ton of musicals in NYC, Philadelphia and DC. The cast was magnificent - really spirited and having a great time. The whole night was so much fun!!!

I am still getting used to the whole pregnancy thing. I have always wanted to be a mom and cannot wait to meet my little one. At the same time I am a bit freaked out that there is an actual person growing inside of me. It is very surreal and I feel a bit like an alien or an incubator - always having to watch what I eat or drink so as not to harm the little person inside of me. It is so much harder than being on a diet. If you slip up on a diet the only person you are hurting is yourself. If I slip up now I could potentially hurt our baby. Pyschologically that is really a difficult thing to deal with. I am almost afraid to eat...almost.

Anyway, we are off to a baptism and then I get to baby sit beautiful Sofia...yeah!!! Lates!

It's Official

I've got a bun in the oven. Not just any bun but a Thanksgiving bun. I am due November 28th, 2008. We are excited. I am exhausted but feeling good. I will post sonogram pics when we are farther along since now all you can see is a little blob. In fact we have named our embryo Blobbie. Just until we can come up with something better.

Now that's Smart

My Dad got a new car...

He loves it and as you can see likes to pose for pictures such as the one above. It's like driving a shoebox but it gets 40 miles to the gallon!!! For more info on how you too can drive your own Smart click here.

Black is the new Black

So in a fit of spontaneity I dyed my hair black yesterday. I really love it. People have been taken aback at first but then when they look at my face they see how well it goes with my skin tone and eye color they decide they like it. Except for my husband who hates it. Oh well, you can't win them all. Dan and I are going to be godparents this weekend to little Hannah so I will have pics of my new color soon. It has been so long since my hair has been this dark...we shall see now if blonds really had more fun...somehow I don't think so!

Shake your booty

Sofia style!!



Clearly my niece, who is a lingustic genius, loves to dance. I love that she is fluent in Italian...will my little bean be as smart?

Seasons of Love

Yesterday my mom and I took the bus to NYC to catch the matinee of RENT at the Nederlander Theater. Needless to say it was amazing!!! My mom didn't like it so much but I think that is because of the "rock and roll" music...considering we saw the opera Norma the night before in Philadelphia I don't blame her...it's just not her thing.

While we were in NYC (for all of 7 hours) we happened upon people waiting in line to try out for the next season of Project Runway!!! To know that Tim Gunn was in such close proximity to me was really just toooooooo much!!! Alas I did not have my camera with me so no photos were taken...there were some people with their models, some with forms with their 3 outfits already on them, others with just their portfolios and clothes on a hanger...it was awesome. I made my mom walk by them twice so I could get a glimpse!!!

The weather here in Philly is just awful. Damp and dreary...where the heck is SPRING!!! Only 3 weeks left of class and I am off until July - I am very excited for the Academic break!!!

Ok, we are meeting friends at La Locanda for dinner so I have to run...try to imagine the spring flowers for me!!!

Happy B-day Princess Sofia!

Yesterday was our beautiful Princess Sofia's 1st birthday! I cannot believe that a year has gone by since Sofia burst forth screaming her beautiful little lungs out while the members of our family stood outside the looking glass crying like fools because she was finally here.

The first picture of our little princess.

I'm 1 and I'm fierce y'all.

Sofia had a huge party with lots of kids and adults and yummy food and presents. She had a monkey cake and a zoo themed cake as well.

Get your own cake biatch, this one is all mine.

It was a fun day...to read more about it and see more pics head over to La Famiglia Palumbi.

I must go and rest as I was in DC today in support of my friend Jen and the 2008 Scope it Out Walk for Colon Cancer. I also have a cold which is making me miserable.

Later peeps.

In the name of Peeps

Happy Easter to all of you that celebrate the holiday!

In honor of this special day I give you the second annual Washington Post Peep show competition.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/03/21/GA2008032101983.html?sid=ST200803210

I highly suggest you look at slide #4.

Have a great holiday!

No more salt

Not sure if I blogged about this before but I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in Nov. One of the requirements to make sure that I don't have a stroke in the middle of the night is No More Salt. Usually this would be ok. I don't really ADD salt to my foods but there are certain foods that I love that have tons of salt. Capers, pickles, olives and SALSA!!!! Well the salsa if it is homemade not so much but those darn chips are what makes it off limits. And lets face it...you can't have salsa without chips. You also cannot just have a few chips and salsa - for those of you that know me well know that I am a salsa HOG. When I used to go to Lauriol Plaza for lunch in DC I would go through at least 3 bowls of salsa BEFORE we even got our meal.

So I could not help but laugh hysterically when I saw this cartoon. It sooooo defines me and my salsa obsession which I miss dearly.

Thanks to Cyanide and Happiness for the hysterical cartoon.

A few more weeks...

....until I participate in the Colon Cancer Walk in DC.



Click here to read more or to make a donation...I am at 58% of my goal (which is $500).


Click here to read about my amazing friend Jen who at 30 was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.

Thanks to all who have already donated!!!

Baby photos

My dad turned 68 this week so we had a little party for him and of course Sofia was the center of attention as well she should be since she is so stinkin' cute.

Looking out the window.

With Nonno Mario

Big Birthday Balloon!

We had a good party with lots of good food and cake thanks to my mom. Sofia even got to practice blowing out the candles which will come in handy in a few weeks when she turns 1 - wee!!

In completely unrelated news, the picture below I happened across while cleaning out and re-arranging my old e-mails.

Baby Paola circa Dec 1973

I think Sofia looks like her aunt. Ok maybe not 100% but at the very least she has my hair and eyes. Notice the stylish dress and rubber ball that the people at Sears let me pose with during the shoot. Good times.

OK, I need to get some sleep tomorrow we are decorating shamrocks with glitter glue pens...I need my rest.

Lates.

TMI Tuesdays

This afternoon, instead of doing work for school, I wasted 3 hours looking through old diary's of mine. I never do this but this afternoon's trip down memory lane was spurred by the attempt to find the name of the little village in France where I spent a week with the family I used to babysit for. After 3 hours I found that I did not write in my journal while I was on this trip to the south of France - hence no name of village.

I did, however become completely engrossed in reading about my self as a child, teenager, young adult and adult. I realized several things such as: I have been "in love" about 10,000 times, I apparently thought it was OK to profess said love to the objects of my affection through various anonymous letters and notes, said objects of my affection have never loved me back, I have always thought I was fat even when I wasn't, I may have suffered from mild depression as a teen, I was palpably lonely as a young adult, and I have sucky handwriting - extra sucky when intoxicated. Some of the journals have locks on them which I was able to pick open with a bobby pin - something I am sure my mom did as well.

As a result of this look back I have decided to share with you once a week the wisdom and "truths" that I have written about over the last 26 years - I started journaling in 1982 at the wise age of 9.

So in honor of my first TMI (too much info) Tuesday I honor you with the first journal entry of my life dated 9-3-82 entitled "Poem of the Day."

Whistles

I want to learn to whistle.
I've always wanted to.
I fix my mouth to do it, but
the whistle won't come through.

I think perhaps it's stuck, and so I try it once again.
Can people swallow whistles?
Where is my whistle then?

I ended the entry The End with a heart around it. There are 2 other hearts on the page as well placed there for no particular reason.

I am surprised that my parents let me out of the house without a helmet.

Feel free to delve into your scary pasts and send me any entries you would like to have the world hear about. I promise that my future posts will be more interesting than Whistles. There is some pretty crazy stuff in there. I also promise to change the identity of anyone who may or may not read this blog...although most of the more juicy things happened way before I even knew what e-mail or the Internet was so y'all are probably safe.

On that note....a la prossima ragazzi....

Jedi Mind Tricks

Princess Sofia gets cuter by the minute - as you can see from these pictures. We are excited for her first easter and we cannot wait to see what the Easter Bunny brings.


I mean really - those cheeks, those eyes, that smile - cuteness!!!!
Me loves!

Grad school is on spring break this week so I have a few nights to catch up on reading and projects and tutoring - I am more behind than I have ever been - and of course it is totally my fault for being ADD. and lazy. and in love with my television.

Speaking of love...we just got Verizon FIOS installed and it is truly one of the awesomest things ever. The fact that I can record something on the DVR downstairs and watch it on the DVR upstairs is awesome. I can finally watch Lost on an HD tv...enough said. Now that Project Runway is almost over I am going to have to find another show to watch devotedly...and not Make me a Supermodel which is the worst show ever and yet I continue to watch. I think it's a Jedi mind trick - Casey Skinner is just so beautiful that I am helpless when I come across the show and have to watch. Aaahhh tv.

Ok, I am off to a playdate with my nieces and nephews.

Lates.

Don't talk back to Darth Vader

As you know, I work with 3 year olds. One of the highlights of working with kids this age is that they say the awesomest things. Sometimes they say things like "Mrs. Yeager is there a baby in your belly?" and then proceed to poke at my non-pregnant flabby belly. Then they are not so much awesome as they are annoyingly observant.

This is not one of my kids but I can very easily see one of them describing the best movie of all time.



I cannot wait for Princess Sofia to talk.

Thanks to Chrissy for the link!

Miss Hannah

I have been asked my my Sister-in-Law Michelle and Brother-in-Law Eric to be Godmother to their beautiful baby girl Hannah Caroline Yeager.



Isn't she the cutest! I am so excited.

Get on board people!

This so so awesome...regardless of your political leanings...you will get a chuckle out of this! I promise!

Snow Bunny

I appologize for not posting often these days...I have been busy with school and work and being a new wife...no one ever tells you how hard it is!!!

It snowed here today and of course Princess Sofia loves to be out in the snow...here are some pics of our beautiful princess in her super cute snowsuit!!! Fierce!

Stay warm everyone!!!

At least they know

This is worth it for the "Peanuts dance breakdown" alone.

Enjoy

Cute babies

that aren't Sofia! You may not know this but I actually have other nieces and nephews in my life. My husband is one of 16 children and at last count there are at 20+ nieces and newphews on the Yeager side of the family ranging from 15 years to 1 week old.

So in an effort to make this blog more even to both sides of my family...meet Ava and Greyson. Aren't they cute?

They are so sweet. Greyson will be dedicated at the end of the month so we get to see him and his sister along with the rest of the family.

I must also welcome the newest member of the Yeager Clan, Damien Alexander, born on Tues Jan 29 at 8lbs 10 oz.

Welcome Damien! Your uncle and I cannot wait to meet you!

Walk for Jen

For those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning, you will remember my post about my friend Jen, who at 30 was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.

I am happy to report that Jen is doing well considering the amount of surgery and chemo that she has had since her diagnosis. One of the feelings I had when Jen told me about the cancer was a sense of uselessness that I could not help her or her family.

Jen sent me the following e-mail today:

"Dear Friends and Family,

On Sunday March 30th, I will be participating in the Fourth Annual Scope It Out 5KTM Run/Walk for Colon Cancer Awareness, a not-for-profit fundraising/awareness race, being held at 8:00 a.m. in West Potomac Park, Washington, D.C., during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The cost is $25 and you receive a t-shirt for your support. To date, Scope It Out 5KTM has raised over $185,000 to further colorectal cancer research and awareness.

I invite you to join me in the walk to raise awareness that this cancer is not just an old person’s disease. Proceeds from the walk go to the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown, Prevent Cancer Foundation and the Colon Cancer Alliance. The Lombardi Center is where I receive top-notch treatment from my extraordinary team of doctors and nurses. Walking is my way of thanking Lombardi for all the hope, care and understanding they give to me on a daily basis.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths for men and women combined. Colorectal cancer affects people of all ethnic backgrounds. Every year, nearly 150,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with the disease, and nearly 60,000 die. More than 13,000 colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed each year in people under the age of 50. By the time symptoms occur (intestinal pain, blood in the stool), colorectal cancer has often metastasized to another organ.

My journey with colorectal cancer began on June 10, 2007. Before that day I was a healthy 30 year old with a 21 month old son and a bright future. My cancer metastasized to my liver and lymph nodes. Because of my age, my serious condition and otherwise healthy body, my doctors aggressively began my treatment. On June 25th the prime tumor was removed and I was given a colostomy (a surgical operation that creates an artificial anus through an opening made in the abdomen from the colon). Three weeks later 85 % of my liver was resected, gallbladder removed and my portal vein and bile duct rerouted. I recovered from both surgeries remarkably well.

Six weeks after liver surgery, I began chemotherapy to eradicate leftover cancer cells and to shrink a pelvic mass that grew between surgery and the onset of chemo. Chemotherapy was successful in stabilizing the tumor, but because of the nature of the mass surgery was the only option. So on December 12th, I underwent a radical hysterectomy and removal of two football size tumors encasing my ovaries. Again I recovered quickly. Even though my scans are clear for now, I am undergoing six more months of chemo. I am hopeful that with the help of my doctors and God that I will beat this disease.

Someone said that cancer patients are the lucky ones and I believe it. Cancer has opened up my world and introduced me to amazing human beings. I am grateful everyday for the small blessings- my son’s laughter, my husband’s smile or a letter from a stranger saying that they heard my story and were compelled to write to me to let me know that I’m in their prayers. God’s challenge has given me the chance to meet angels on earth and kindred spirits. I know my cancer experience has a greater meaning and I intend to use it to help others struggling with this disease.

Please join me as I begin my new journey as survivor and advocate. For more information and to sign up for the walk go to www.scopeitout5k.com. Please let me know if you intend on walking so that I can keep you abreast of a team meeting place etc.

Thanks for being a part of Team Jen!"

I will be joining Jen on that day as we walk for awareness and a cure for this horrible disease.

You can help by making a donation on my fundraising page

http://www.active.com/donate/scopeitout/paolap

or if you are in the area feel free to join us. It will be a fun day for all!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give us!

Friday Evening Book MeMe

Ok, so it is Saturday morning but my sister-in-law Lisa tagged me for a Friday Evening Book MeMe.

The rules are: take the book closest to you right now, turn to page 123 find the fifth sentence and then write the next 3 full sentences in your post. Here is what I have:

"We swoon for guys like this who know how to tease and seduce - but is this love? No one has a bad hair day or a blemish in True Love. Everyone is laughing and beautiful like the speaker in Maturai Eruttalan Centamputan's 'What She Said.'"

This is taken from "To Hell With Love: Poems to Mend a Broken Heart" by Mary D. Esselman & Elizabeth Ash Velez. It is sitting on my bookshelf in my living room since my friend Chrissy brought it back to me last weekend. I had loaned it to her roommate a few years back when her boyfriend broke up with her for no reason. It is a great book which follows the stages of grief and talks you through how you are feeling when a relationship ends.

I forgot I even had it until Chrissy brought it back to me. The book was a gift from my friend Melissa who worked with Mary Esselman's husband. She and I have been through many a troubled time involving men and heartache. She thought it might come in handy in the future. I on the other hand have given the book to many friends to help them through in their time of need. The poems are beautiful and the message powerful. The authors have gone on to write two more books "Kiss off: Poems to set you free" and "You drive me crazy: Love poems for real life." I have not read them but I am sure they are great.

Now let's see what books are in your life:

Dixie Chick

A Novelist

Sognatrice

You have been tagged!

More Sofia Crawling

You need RealPlayer to see the video - you can download it here.








She really is so smart - she crawls to the book - picks it up - adjusts her legs and then starts reading!!!! I cannot wait to see her Sat so she can crawl to me!

Weeeeee!

It's all down hill from here

Sofia is crawling!!! Witness the cuteness for yourself!



Words cannot explain how excited I am for this. Tears came to my eyes - I am so proud of her! It seems like just yesterday she was this teeny tiny baby bundled up at the hospital.
Now mommy and daddy will really get a workout!

Monday cuteness

Enough said!!!

An ex-roommates wise musings

I recently reconnected with my freshman year roommate, Sarah, on facebook and was delighted to discover that she has twin boys and a very insightful blog called Office Meets Playground. Her blog is about balancing family, work and life. You can read it here. She is so smart and the blog is great. I struggle with this balance issue all the time so I had to just pass along the link.

You can thank me later!

Good information

I know that it has been months since my wedding but I just want to reiterate how great my wedding photographers were. Mike and Rachel Allebach are amazing! They have this great blog which is chock full of info for Philly brides and grooms. Planning a wedding can be so hard and there is so much information out there. If you live in or near Philly and are planning a wedding you should check it out. You will not be disappointed.

I hope you all have a good weekend. I have guests from DC coming and we have a serious Steve and Barry's agenda to complete before they leave.

Ciao!

Smarty pants

This picture of my super smart and cute niece was just too adorable not to post.

Now I don't want to toot Sofia's horn but...what other 10 month olds do you know that can read!!! Tee hee, my niece is Smartest. Baby. Ever.

Awesome Awesome Awesome!!!!

Words cannot express what an amazing movie U2 3D is!!! If you are even a remote U2 fan see this movie. If you are a lover of technology see this movie. It was amazing! The boys pulled out all the stops and as usual are on the top of their game.

Highlights:

Being able to watch Larry drum up close - you can even see his orange soda drink shake as he thumps away.

Love and Peace or Else = drool

Bono "wipes your tears away" almost literally during Sunday Bloody Sunday.

The band members "touching". My fellow fans will understand why this is exciting!

The throng of thousands of Argentinian fans swaying to the music and singing at the top of their lungs!

The lightening bolt smile Larry gives at the end as he waves goodbye to the crowd - priceless!

Seriously, though, it is an amazing concert film which captures U2's Stadium show brilliantly. I only got to see Vertigo in arena's and now I feel like I was there in that Soccer Stadium with 80,000 screaming fans. Something I have always wanted to do but am afraid to do because I fear being trampled to death.

There were some songs that I would have liked to have seen played - City of Blinding Lights being one of them but I am not complaining in the least.

After the credits are over the band thanks it's fans and says that this movie is for them.

Um, THANK YOU, Bono, Larry, Edge and Adam for embracing technology and giving us this amazing present.

Finger's crossed for a new album this fall! Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Hello Hello - I am THRILLED to see Vertigo...Live in 3D!

U2 3D opens here in KOP on Wed. I have a ticket for the 12:30pm showing. For the first time I do not have to take off work or drive millions of miles to see the band I love live. I just wish my ex-roomie Gina could be there to see it with me. Alas we will see it together when it comes to the Franklin Institute. U2 brought us together one fateful night at the 4P's in Washington DC. It has been a fun and rock n' rollin' ride ever since!

The reviews of this movie have been outstanding. To say I am excited is an understatement!!!

A shot of the boys at Sundance as they waited for the movie to start.

You can stop laughing now.

I will let you know how it was on Wed! Long live Rock and Roll!!!!

Every Little Thing's Gonna Be Alright...

Sorry again for not posting but Dan and I have just gotten back from a long weekend in Jamaica. We returned to Montego Bay again, this time staying at the flagship Sandals. It was a blast - a VERY fun group of people and lots of yummy frozen drinks. Here are some pics.

Dinner at Cucina Romana with Chris and Suz

Getting off the wind sail thingy

On the wind sail thingy

Dinner at the beach party our last night - how cute is my hubby!

We had so much fun and as much as I hate to admit it - I feel a hundred times better now that I am a bit tan. I just invested in some Arbonne self tanner and their amazing bronzer so hopefully I can keep the illusion of said tan through the bulk of the winter.

Next week I start grad classes again. My books alone this semester will be over $300 which does not please me at all but it needs to be done. Luckily I got some gift cards from my students so it should help frey the costs a bit.

Iam excited about this year...I don't know if it was Jamaica that rejuvinated my saging spirits or not but I am looking forward to graduating and then to our trip to Italy...we are going in June for 2 weeks to visit my Grandmother. I am taking Dan to the Amalfi Coast - his first visit - and I am looking forward to taking him to Capri and Pompeii. We are staying at this awesome hotel The Grand Hotel Excelsior in Amalfi thanks to my brother's recommendation. The views are breath taking and I am officially excited.

After Amalfi we are renting a car and driving from Salerno to Alba Adriatica in Abruzzo. Oddly enough, Avis has rental car locations in both towns - what are the odds. We will spend a few days at my family's appartment in Alba and then we will see my Nonna. I have not seen her in 2 years so I am looking forward to it!!! I cannot wait to show her our wedding video - I really wish she could have come to the wedding but alas it was not to be. She will be 87 this year so her days of traveling to the US are over.

OK, back to watching the game...can the Jags beat NE's streak?!?!?! Go Jags!!!