A Baby!!!

It was killing me not to announce our news to everyone!  But, the cat's out of the bag now.  Derek and I are having a baby, and we are due March 28th.  That makes me 9 and a half weeks right now, and we couldn't be more excited. 

Even though this was a planned pregnancy, more or less, we are both coming to the realization that there's so much to do before the baby comes.  We have been working on emptying out our "storage room" and putting away all our wedding gifts that have been patiently waiting for us in the boxes.  It's been fun, almost like opening them all up for the first time, and reminding us how wonderful our friends and family are.  This room will be the baby's room, a mere 5 steps from our room, and our wonderful landlord will be helping us redo the floor.  The walls were all freshly painted in a calming yellow with green trim, which is actually pretty nice.  One less thing for us to worry about.  I'm so glad we have a 3 bedroom apartment.  We will have plenty of room for the baby items. 

Speaking of baby items, I really can't wait to start shopping for the little one and setting up a registry.  I feel very fortunate that I have such amazing women around me who are already mothers and who are willing to share their knowledge and experience.  My mother, especially, has been so very helpful so far, and I'm glad that I have her to help me. 

One thing that has been a bit of a struggle for me is the diet.  There's a pregnancy diet that is recommended, and I've been trying to stick to it, and even though it sounds simple enough, it's difficult to make sure that i'm getting all the nutrients that I need.  Thank goodness I like a lot of fruits and vegetables, or this would be torture!  There's a lot of food that I can't have, but it's definitely a sacrifice worth making.  I just hope that the baby is healthy and that these next 7 months or so go smoothly.  Luckily, I really haven't had to deal with much in the way of morning sickness.  Closer to 6 weeks, I dealt with quite a bit of nausea, but never anything worse, and crackers and ginger seemed to be enough to deal with it.  I still get random waves every once in a while, but it's not really that bad. 

One thing I'm going to have to get used to is the frequent visits to the doctor.  I'm not one who visits the doctor much outside my yearly checkups, so going once a month is a lot, not to mention the bi-weekly and then weekly visits toward the end.  But, my first visit went very well, and the doctor was pleased with how everything seemed.  Speaking of, I feel very fortunate that i see a family doctor, so I didn't have to find an OB/GYN, and I won't have to find a separate pediatrician for the baby.  I already know, like, and trust my doctor, and I like not having to worry about developing trusting relationships with strangers. 

So, one last thing.  It's far too early to tell, and once the time comes, we will definitely be finding out, but I really feel like I'm having a boy.  I'm not sure why, but I do.  I guess we'll find out if I'm right during the ultrasound.  In any case, I'm sure there will be updates soon. 

Summer

It's been a bit since I've posted, and things are going very well for us.  Summer has been much more relaxing for me, considering the summer program is significantly shortened (20 hours per week) and is also significantly more fun, with field trips, movies, games, and other fun things.  Sure, we fit in some academics and social skills, but the kids really don't seem to mind.  This is our last week of summer camp, and then two weeks before school starts.  Class has officially started for me now, but I don't have the books yet.  I hope they arrive soon, or I might start freaking out a bit.  :)

Derek doesn't seem to like the summer quite as much as I do, but his work schedule doesn't take a break like mine.  That, and he really doesn't like the heat and humidity so much.  Fortunately, after school this week, we will be heading down to his parents' shore house on LBI for a nice week or relaxation, beach, sun, and not much else.  We are really looking forward to that, as we both need some time away.  We'll be away for my birthday, and so I'm looking forward to spending a nice birthday on the beach.  Not a bad way to celebrate.  :) 

In any case, we are enjoying married life quite a bit, and are really starting to prepare for our future together.  Our savings account is looking healthy, and within a few years, we should be in a house after accumulating a sizable down payment.  I've also been having a great time expanding my culinary talents, and I'm pretty sure that Derek has no complaints.  Turns out, I'm a pretty good cook.  :)  So, I'm off for now, and I'm sure there will be more updates in the not-too-distant future. 

Teddy's Adventures

This past weekend was a very special weekend.  Our friend Lisa's son Dylan was baptized, and Derek was asked to be the godfather.  It's a very special honor to be asked to be a godfather, and so Derek took off for the weekend to spend time with family and friends, hang out at the beach a little, and become the godfather to a very special little boy. 

Unfortunately, I was not able to accompany him on that trip to New Jersey, as my classes ended today, and I needed to get quite a bit of writing done and all the rest of my assignments turned in so all my hard work would not be wasted.  It would have been awful to fail the classes due to undone assignments.  In all, I typed 51 pages between three papers.  I wish I was exaggerating.  In any case, because I knew that I was not going anywhere this weekend, I agreed to watch a dog for a friend, a beautiful golden named Teddy.  We had such a good weekend, that I figured I'd share.  He made me smile a few times, and I hope that reading about our weekend makes you smile as well. 

Keri and her sister, Tara, dropped Teddy off Wednesday afternoon, and Bailey was excited to have a new playmate.  The cats, however, weren't thrilled, especially when they discovered that Teddy likes to bark at and chase cats.  After a bit of whining and a lot of shadowing, Teddy settled in to his weekend arrangement, discovered the cats, and explored the apartment. 
Actually, Teddy shadowed me all weekend long.  If I got up, he got up.  If I went into the bedroom, so did he.  If I went into the kitchen, so did he.  The first night, after the barking incident, the cats were locked in the bedroom with all of their necessities, and I figured that Teddy could sleep on his bed in the living room where Bailey sleeps.  Teddy didn't agree.  After quite a bit of whining and pawing at the door, I gave up and slept (well, I wouldn't say I slept, persay...) on the couch in the living room.  With my hand draped over the edge and resting on his shoulder.  Because he wouldn't settle unless I was making physical contact with him.  He wouldn't even sleep on his bed.  But don't worry, the bed didn't go to waste, though.  Bailey found it quite comfortable. 

Thursday, I had to go to work, and I was a bit nervous about Teddy being there alone, considering how close he stayed by me, but I came home that afternoon, and everything was fine.  This is when I discovered one of Teddy's favorite things to do when he gets happy and excited.  He grabs one of my shoes (sneakers seem to be his favorite, sut slippers work in a pinch) and run around the apartment in circles as I call after him to "drop it," which he conveniently ignores.  That evening, I took him and Bailey for a ride to my parents', where I learned that 1) Teddy really likes convertibles until you put the roof up and 2) Teddy refuses to poop in my yard.  That's just way too convenient for him.  When we got home, we chilled for a bit, then I brought the cats into the kitchen with all their necessities, put up the gate, and placed Teddy's bed next to our bed so I could sleep. 

Friday, Teddy watched me type papers, mostly, ran around with my shoes, irritated Bailey (apparently the excitement of having a playmate wore off quickly for Bailey; I swear he's like a grumpy old man trapped in a young dog's body), barked at the cats, and laid at my feet.  When I needed a break from typing, Bailey, Teddy, and I went for a nice, long walk.  Teddy walked me, and Bailey tried to tie me up.  It would have been pretty amusing for an onlooker to observe. 

During our nightly walk before bed, Teddy, who still refused to poop in our yard, found the one grassy yard that's not fenced in to do his business.  Bailey, upon seeing this, thought it was a good place as well.  This wouldn't have been bad, except that it was also the only yard with a guy standing out in the driveway.  So, in being polite, I made idle chit chat.  "Yes, it is a really nice night.  Yes, I'm glad it's not raining right now. Oh, it does seem pretty muggy out.  Say, do you happen to have a phone on you with a light so that I can find the crap from these two dogs who just squatted in your yard?  I'd love to pick up the crap all over your yard if only I could find it..."  Perhaps the funniest part of this entire scenario is that right after I finish picking up dog feces with little plastic bags from his yard, the guy asked me if I had a boyfriend.  Because nothing says sexy like picking up dog crap.  Anyway, when Teddy and I went to bed, he laid down in his bed, but I woke up Saturday morning to find him up on the bed with me in Derek's spot. 

Saturday between papers, Teddy, Bailey and I went to the dog park, where they both had fun running around with the other dogs.  I wish I had remembered to bring my camera.  I could have gotten some pretty good shots.  I wish we could have stayed longer, but those papers were calling for me.  We spent the remainder of the day/evening chilling in the living room while I typed papers and Teddy slept at my feet, wedged in between the couches, which, for some strange reason, was his favorite spot.  That night, Teddy didn't even pretend that he was going to sleep on the floor.  As soon as we went into the bedroom for the night, he hopped right up onto the bed.  It was pretty funny, actually. 
Sunday was just another boring, paper-filled day.  Teddy spent a lot of the day wedged between our couches or following me around.  He was not too happy that I put the gate up, as he could no longer attempt to follow me into the bathroom and sit by the door waiting for me to come out.  I took a bit of a break to go for a walk with the dogs, but did not have time to take them for a ride.  Then, Sean came and took Teddy for the rest of Keri's vacation. 

Some things I learned and/or realized this weekend:

• I am grateful that Bailey is so small and compact and quiet.
• If everyone could be as happy as Teddy, the world would be a better place. 
• The cats may never forgive me.  Mischa took all night to come out, and is still hiding today.
• A little love and comfort goes a long way.
• No matter how friendly and gentle a dog is, fabric toys are no match for a big dog.  (He tore the stuffing out of his toy within minutes of having it).
• Even a playful dog like Bailey has limits as to how long he's going to tolerate a house guest.
• The grass always does seem to be greener on the other side.  It was a battle to get each dog to eat his own food. 

In short, we had a greally good weekend.  I missed having Teddy around after he left, even though he was too big for this little place.  I hope, though, that Keri keeps me in mind next time she goes away.  I wouldn't mind watching Teddy again.  It's nice to have a big dog for a little bit, knowing that I can give him back.  ;)

Family Trip

Derek and I took our first vacation (post-honeymoon, of course) as husband and wife.  We flew out to Illinois to visit his family.  I had pushed for this trip because there was a significant number of relatives, including Derek's grandparents (94 and 95 years old) who were not able to make the trip for our wedding.  It was very important to me that we take a trip out, and I'm so glad we did. 

I do have to say that the whole trip was a bit nerve-wracking to think about.  What started as a small trip so that I could meet his grandparents turned into a family reunion weekend, with lots and lots of new people to meet.  George, Derek's grandfather had recently been having some health issues, and was in a nursing home when we arrived, and so we stopped at the bursing home frequently throughout the weekend to visit with him.  Dorothy, Derek's grandmother, was still at home. 

First, I'll begin with some highlights of the trip.  Friday, when we arrived, Derek's mother was there to greet us, and take us over to the nursing home where we met up with Dorothy and George.  I didn't really know what to expect, not having had much contact with people as advanced in age, and was pleasantly surprised at how "with it" they were.  My favorite moment of Friday was being presented with an exquisite hand-made jewelry box as a birthday/welcome to the family gift.  I admit, I did tear up.  It was very touching that George would give me something so dear and special to him.  We stayed at the nursing home for a bit, then went home for some food and much needed sleep. 

Saturday, Derek's mother's side of the family (These were her parents we were visiting) all came over to the house for a bit of a family reunion.  It was nice to meet them all, and apparently, I only missed out on meeting two of Derek's cousins.  They were all very nice people, and I had a good time getting to know them all.  Brian and Paula, Derek's aunts, are not in the picture below, but they were at the gathering as well.  As you may be able to tell, Michelle and her husband Chris are expecting to grow the family at the end of the summer. 

Sunday, Derek and I had gotten up, and Dorothy was looking at the paper.  We were chatting about some of the different stores in the area, when she let us know about this one grocery store chain that gives discounts every Tuesday.  She then proceeded to inform us that sometimes she doesn't bother going on Tuesday because of all the old people in the store, and how some couples take up the whole aisle, looking at every label and the aggrivation is not worth the discount.  She's 95, as I said previously.  That may have been one of my favorite moments of the entire trip.  Granted, she is much more together than I would have imagined.  She still drives well, and she can get around, and her mind is still sharp as a tack.  George is having more trouble in the moving around department (though therapy is doing wonders in the nursing home) but he too is very sharp. 

After breakfast and our daily stop at the nursing home to chat with George for a bit, we took off to Starved Rock, a state park that was amazing, where we met up with Derek's father's side of the family.  In driving out to the park, it became very apparent that there isn't much in Illinois but corn and sporadic farm houses.  Living in such a congested part of the counrty me entire life, it's funny to see the cities all clumped together, with nothing inbetween.  And the flatness!  Quite different from what I'm used to.  In any case, the park was amazing, and Derek's family was again very welcoming.  His cousins Dana and Holly have the cutest kids, and there were definitely some "kids say the darndest things" moments, such as when one of the little ones (either Ava or Courtney) complained that she souldn't walk anymore because "my shoes are tired" or when one of the older ones (Katie, I think) kissed her biceps in response to Derek commenting about how strong she is.  There's a "photobomber" in the picture below on the left behind our group.  Multiple pictures were taken of the group, and she stood, quite purposefully in the back in all of them. 

All in all, it was nice to get out and exercise some, as we had been eating horribly all weekend, and meet new people.  On the way home, we stopped at a Steak and Shake, which is apparently a big thing out there.  It's a neat little place, a burger and dogs 50's style joint with milkshakes, of course. 

Monday, Derek and I left early, stopped by the nursing home one last time, and then headed to Chicago, where we were disappointed to learn that the Sears Tower was renamed the Willis Tower in '09.  Really, the rest of the little exploration of Chicago was pretty good.  It's so funny how the little changes can irritate us so much sometimes.  If I were to be more dramatic, I could even go so far as to say that it invalidates our childhood to change things like that.  Dont's even get me started on the "planet" Pluto. 

Silly rants aside, Derek and I had fun looking down on the city from 103 stories up.  They have these little glass cutouts in the side of the building where glass cubes suspend people out over the city, and I enjoyed them.  It was a bit scary walking out on what they affectionately call "the ledge," and poor Derek was more than a bit freaked out by it, but we did get some cool pictures of us appearing to stand on nothing (or at least they would have been cool had the glare off the glass not been so obvious). 


The picture to the left is one I pulled off the internet, showing these little glass people aquariums stuck to the side of the building.  You can see a bit better how the "Ledge" is formed.  It looks a lot freakier when you're standing in front of it, about to walk off the edge of the actual carpeted floor. 

Now that I've shared some highlights, I want to share a short story.  It's about a man who was separated from his wife of 70 years due to unfortunate circumstances, for the first time in a very long time.  And it's about the woman, who for the first time in a very long time didn't have her life-long partner at home with her.  The man was so eager to get back home to his wife (who visited him several times a day, but it wasn't the same) that he was able to put aside his stubbornnes, and his opinionated ways and realize the importance of listening to his therapists and nursing home staff because he feared that if he didn't he would not be able to go home to his loving wife.  When Derek and I were sitting in the room listening to George speak of how much he missed Dorothy, it brought tears to my eyes.  And all I can hope is that Derek and I are still so deeply in love in our 90's as these two obviously are.  I'm glad I was able to meet them this weekend, and they have proven to be quite the role models for me. 

The BED!

Derek and I have been talking about a king size bed since we moved in together.  It stems from the fact that I am a horribly light sleeper, and he is a horribly active sleeper, and the two don't mix well.  We had a queen size, but it was tall, and soft, and the entire thing wiggled anytime either of us moved, and it was very difficult to sleep.  An amazing bed for a solo sleeper, though. Like sleeping on a cloud.  Any overnight guests we have now are in luck. 

So the funny story about Derek and myself and the bed situation is this: even though we lived in the same apartment since last June, we had separate bedrooms until the wedding.  We would joke about being "Good Catholics" (he's not even Catholic) but the reason stemmed down to the fact that if we went to bed in the same room, I would end up on the couch or in the other bedroom.  Even before we lived together, most nights I spent in Providence found me on the couch. 

So here we are, married now, and I refused to be that couple.  I know that a lot of married couples make the choice to sleep in separate beds, but as newlyweds?  It wouldn't have been right.  It was tempting, as the sleeping part would have been great,... but no.  It wasn't an option.  Hence the desire to get a king size bed.  One that wouldn't move as much, and would give us both plenty of room. (I tend to sleep on the edge of the mattress, but Derek really likes the middle.) 

So, after two months of marriage and subsequent sleep issues, we finally have our king size bed.  I set it up yesterday.  On a side note, sometimes I irritate myself with my stubbornness.  For some reason that i still don't know, I couldn't wait for Derek and ended up moving our queen to the spare room and setting up the king all by myself, for no good reason at all.  And I'm a bit sore, to be honest. But, it's set up!  And I love it.  If anyone who reads this got us Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards, thanks so much for the new bedding for our new bed, by the way.  So now, I'm going to go to bed.  In the new bed.  Where there's plenty of room for me, Derek, and Mischa (but not Roxie, because Mischa has claimed it and won't let Roxie near it) and I can't feel Derek moving, and the memory foam feels fantastic. 

Good night.  :)

BRUINS!

Today this post isn't about us.  It's about history.  For once, Derek and I were rooting for the same team last night (It's VERY odd to hear my husband rooting for a Boston team). 

The last time the Bruins brought home the Stanley cup was after the 1971-1972 season.  They are also the first team in franchise history to win three game 7s in one post-season.  Now, this new millenium has seen all four major sports teams in Boston bring home the victory.  What an amazing time to be a Boston fan. 

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins.

Learning How to be Married

Before I begin, I want to say that what my ramblings will bring in this blog relate only to the relationship between Derek and me, and in no way reflect other relationships or situations.  I know that ours is a situation much different than others, one where we did not have children before marriage, nor did we date for an extended amount of time.  This is an honest reflection on my thoughts and feelings.  Please accept it as such. 

So, it turns out that, even though we lived together before marriage, after our wedding, things are a bit different in many little ways.  Wonderful, but different.  Derek and I have been learning a lot about being married over the past couple months (two on Thursday, to be exact), but we're loving every little lesson.  Things are taken more seriously now that we've committed ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives.  I guess it's difficult to explain why there would even be a difference in many ways, especially once a couple is engaged, seeing as how you're promising to marry each other, but it is.  

First, there's a comfort that wasn't there, at least not to the same extent before.  Maybe its the fact that the stress of planning the wedding is over and you can actually just enjoy each others' company, or the fact that even if you had that nervous energy before the wedding (it turns out that I have much more self-doubt than I should and would question the silliest things), now, you know that you're going to go home, and the other person will be there, and you can talk if you need to, cuddle if you want to, and just sit and enjoy togetherness.  This is a wonderful benefit of being married, especially if you know you married your perfect partner.  We are learning never to take this for granted. 

Our second lesson comes in communication.  We both know how important it is, but sometimes it's really easy to not say something we're thinking or feeling because we don't want to "start anything." Or we don't want to "make a big deal" out of something small.  Truth is, it's often easier not to say something.  But we haven't fallen into that trap.  Not yet, at least.  It's something to practice.  For the first time in our lives, someone else's thoughts and feelings are tied securely to our own in away that dating didn't cause to the same extent.  I mean sure, we wanted each other to be happy before, and we wanted to see each other smile.  But now, it's much more magnified.  Standing up in front of our family and friends made it hit home what we were doing, how big a commitment we were making.  With such an important step we took together, we always want to be able to be as happy as we are now, and we know that open communication will play a big role in that. 

Our third major lesson is based on human nature's way of painting a picture of the unknown, which for us was married life.  We both had a certain image of what it would be like after we were married, and I'll admit my image consisted of dinners together very night, lots of romance, and other images that television tells little girls what marriage is.  Don't get me wrong.  Marriage has exceeded my expectation in many ways.  I had no idea that I could be so happy knowing that someone cares about me as much as Derek cares, and I love him more than I thought I would ever be able to love another person.  So the lesson is that sometimes things don't happen as imagined, but if you're so concentrated on what's different, you may not realize that things are even better than you could ever have imagined.