RIP

My wonderful, crazy, loving Grandpa Dave died from Alzheimer's last night. June 6, 1926-Dec 3, 2010. You will always be master of the tummy drum, the greatest carver in the world and make the best darn pancakes a girl could have. You made us laugh by making up silly songs with your own words and always knew your way was best, even when that meant destroying Dad's tent so you could get maple syrup out of the tree with the pole. Beth and I spent hours with you "carving" in the basement, even though you gave us something no sharper than a butter knife.

You were the best grandfather two little girls could ask for. You were one of few who survived Iwo Jima with little more than a scrape from a tuna can and your family is utterly greatful for that. Your lessons will be passed on to your Great Grandson who will be here in a matter of two months. He already has your ears and hopefully some (but not all!) of your spunk.

Alzheimer's finally took you away fully but we loved you every second and we know deep down in there you loved us with every drop until your final breath. Nothing can take away a love like you had for us and us for you.

Goodbye Marine, you served us well and we are all better people for knowing you.

Love you and miss your for always,
Your KatyBug

My View

This is my view for the last 2 1/2 days. The Sinus Infection from hell that won't go away is still hanging on and I haven't left my bed for almost 3 days. Little Titleist won't leave the bed either, he's keeping me company. It would be nice to smell...or breathe...or taste. I can't breathe, my ribs hurt from coughing and I'm hoping my antibiotics start kicking in soon.

Damn you sinus infection and being pregnant at the same time. I can't take anything to unstuff my head, I just have to sort of take it.

Two 1/2 days and counting...

A Letter

Dear Cranky-Pants Across the Street-

When you yell at your teenager in the driveway, I can hear you. When you come wadling out of your house to angrily drag in your trash can, I can see you sulk all the way out to the curb and all the way back to your house. When you try to gun-it down your driveway to make it out to the street before me, you make me laugh. When I wave in the mornings and you pretend you don't see me even though you're basically 15 feet away, I won't take it personally even though I'm as big as two people right now.

Thank you for making my day more entertaining.

-Your more cheery neighbor

The Neighborhood

Our street during a beautiful Fall day.

It's Official...

I can no longer see my feet.

I wonder...

So I'm starting to wonder where all the pregnant ladies in Detroit are. I'm starting to grow out of my non-pregnancy clothes so I'm on the hunt for some maternity clothes. I've been on the look-out for some cute, not super expensive stuff and the normal places have almost ZERO maternity section!

Target generally has some cute maternity stuff but the Target here has literally one wall of maternity stuff. Same thing goes for Kohl's and JCPenney. How is this possible??

My question is where are all the pregnant ladies, what do they wear and where do they shop?? UGH!

23 Weeks

Here's 23 weeks. I'm not sure it looks super different from the one before but he IS growing. He's about 15 inches from head to toe now and weighs about a pound and a half. I can't believe it, he's getting so big! Only about 4 more weeks and I'm into the third trimester which is astounding. He's kicking away in there and has turned into a little wiggle worm in there recently. He plays a little game where he kicks back if you push on my stomach which is super funny...well, to us anyway.

I've been feeling pretty good but a little anxious about what's to come. My hips are starting to hurt more and it's harder to sleep. It's harder to get off the sofa, roll out of bed or be on my feet for a long period of time. I know that after about 26 weeks I'm really going to start growing and things will get much harder.

I leave tomorrow for my Colorado shower and I'm super excited. I'm ready to see all the friends I haven't seen in a few months and ready for some chat time with girlfriends!

NY Baby Shower

A few weeks ago I drove my pregnant butt to New York for my first baby shower. On the way there I went through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. It took about 6 hours and the drive was GORGEOUS! I was jamming out to my mp3 player and barely noticed the time.

On my way!



Welcome To Ohio!



Progressive Field (aka where the Indians play)



Awesome Fall colors in Ohio


Funny story in Ohio: I stopped to get lunch at a Burger King in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. I ordered my food and handed the cashier my card. She looks at me like "what is THAT thing?" She gives me a blank stare...I say "um, it's a Visa." She proceeds to tell me they don't take cards right now. Say WHHAAA? You don't take cards right now? No, the card machine wasn't broken, they seriously didn't take cards at that moment in time. Alright. Then the guy behind me asks for a number whatever with a large onion ring and the biggest coke they have. And not just onion rings, "Uuuuuunion rangs." I'm sorry, did I take a right at Michigan and end up in Alabama?

Then I forgot to get a picture of the Pennsulvania sign. :(

Welcome to New York!


We had my shower at this great place called Lemoncello. They had amazing sandwiches and the desserts, OMG, they were to DIE for!! I would gladly drive all the way back to Rochester just to get lunch and dessert there again. Yum-o!

One of the super cute onsies Beth got me!! She lives in Maine, so lobster onesie is perfect from Aunt Beth. :)



Beth helping me with the hoards of tissue paper. It was so wonderful seeing her.


Gifts, gifts.


And more gifts!


I didn't get any pictures of just Beth and I though :(

I got to see my Grandpa which was a little hard but I'm very glad I went. He has advanced Alzheimer's and dimentia and it's hard to see him like that but we had some nice moments that made me eternally grateful that I went.

On my way home I went through Ontario Canada because supposedly it's supposed to be faster. In not so many words, it wasn't. After I got through customs it ended up being the exact same amount of time but with the added annoyance of having to sit at customs for 30 minutes each way. And then, it was especially fun trying to breeze through myself with a Colorado license plate, Michigan driver's license and coming back from a baby shower in New York. I got a few extra questions and they rifled through my bags of gifts. It was a lot harder to get back into the U.S. than it was to get into Canada! The customs agents asked me what I had in the bags and it took all my energy not to be sassy with him and tell him it was my illegal drugs. That's all I need, getting my pregnant ass arrested at the Canadian border for mouthing off to Border Patrol!

Niagra River.


Welcome to Ontario


Canada, Baby!


Almost Back to the U.S.ofA.


Bridge to the U.S.



U.S. Canadian Border


Welcome to the back to the U.S. and Michigan!


I had so much fun seeing my family and some old friends again. The baby got some amazing gifts and Mandi and her mom spent way too much on him!! But I loved every second of my time there and forgot how much I miss New York.

21 Weeks

Here's my belly at 21 weeks. It's crazy how big I'm getting so fast! My muscles are stretching and sometimes it feels a little tight. I read that between now and labor my rib cage will expand by 2-3 inches, good lord!! I need to stop reading pregnancy books I think. I know it's supposed to help you know what to expect but it's really just starting to freak me out!

It's starting to be that time in the pregnancy where things really start to happen. You can start feeling Braxton Hicks (which is false labor), your belly really starts to grow, you start to feel more and more tired, etc. etc. The baby is basically fully developed but things just need to mature and he needs to put on weight. From here on out, things start to get serious but closer to having him in our arms.

I've been feeling him kick inside me for a few weeks but this last weekend it has really picked up. He kicks pretty hard two or three times a day, usually in the morning around 10, sometime in the late afternoon and then again about 10 at night. This weekend something pretty cool happened though; we felt him kick from the outside! The first time was right before I fell asleep and it was absolutely amazing. I almost cried because it's amazing to feel him from the "real world" not just in the womb. He's a big kicker and every once in awhile he gives me a swift one. The Hubs has even been able to feel it which has been nice. It's crazy!

So it was almost right at 21 weeks we were able to feel him from the outside of the belly.

Things are starting to progress!

LOVE This Song

I love Brad Paisley, always have. Steve and I always go see him when he's in town and I just love, love his music. I was listening to his CD, "American Saturday Night", today while I was unpacking the DVD's, and this song came on. I was sobbing and cry every time I think about it. :) (in a good way!)

DWTS

I can't believe I'm writing this post but I actually follow Dancing With the Stars this season. Feel free to hang your head in shame. I detest "The Situation", I think Jennifer Grey is awesome and I actually like watching Bristol Palin because she's adorable.

I think working from home is starting to get to me! I need to get out more, haha!

Pizza Today

The Hubs and I tried this new pizza place near our house. It was a Chicago-style place which isn't my favorite. We got pepperoni and artichoke but the longer it's been since we've eaten the more I realize I should've ordered pepperoni and Tums pizza. Sometimes pregnancy ain't so grand.

Earlier Belly Pics

Since I haven't been able to post belly pics in the past, here you go.


5 Weeks, just after we found out.



7 Weeks


11 Weeks

19 Weeks

Here's my belly at 19 weeks. It's really starting to get bigger but I feel like I've actually lost weight. You're supposed to be super hungry during this phase but I'm really not hungry very often.

So far I've had cravings but nothing too strange. At first I was so nauseas all I wanted was buttered pasta with Parmesan cheese. It was like heaven in a bowl and I had it all the freakin' time. I brought it to work one day for lunch and all I could think about all morning was the pasta with butter in the fridge. Around 10:45 I decided I really hadn't gotten much done due to thinking about lunch and 10:45 was close enough to lunch. Heaven, I'm telling you.

Then for about 7 weeks I could not be around a vegetable. I couldn't hear the word, see a vegetable, smell them, anything. The grocery store was like a war zone for me and Steve had to go alone or we raced through like Speed Racer.

Now I can't get enough bagels with bacon and egg or fresh fruit. I could live on bagels and fruit, OMG. Iron Chef was having Battle Pineapple last night and I almost had the Hubs drive to the store at 11PM and buy me some freshly cut pineapple. Yum-O.

Alright...

Not sure what is more disturbing: the fact that you don't have to parody this because it's so freakin' lame or the fact that it's set to the Macarena. Just...wow.

Funny

The CEO of Segway died falling off a cliff, riding a Segway. Sounds like an article in The Onion but, alas, it is true.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Well there have been some changes in our household. First and foremost, we're having a baby!! And we just found out today we're having a boy :) I'm going to have a son. We're keeping his name under wraps but we're calling him Little G Man for now. I'm 19 weeks along and have had a pretty painless and easy pregnancy so far. The first trimester was a little rough but more about the pregnancy later.

Big change number 2, the Hubs and I moved to the Detroit metro area. Hubby got a promotion at his job and they transferred him to Detroit. We bought a cute house built in 1940 in a suburb about 20 miles west of Detroit. So far we're loving it here. It's a great mix of midwest and east coast and it makes us very close to our NY relatives and friends.

Since the baby news, we've decided I'm going to work from home with my freelance writing so I can relax the rest of my pregnancy and then be home with the baby. Also, I've always wanted to be a writer. Being an executive assistant was just a detour in the career arena.

More later, with pictures!!

*Want*

I love me some Etsy. These are the marvelous things I want.

LOVE this necklace from cleobelle.



Super cute retro apron from daffodillies



Metal bucket with our name or something on it by treefrogcreations. So many uses!

Yum-O

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made arroz con pollo a la "I Love Lucy" for dinner (or, chicken and rice). :) Luckily it turned out much better than Ricky's. I'm very exicted that it actually turned out exactly the way I wanted it, and the Hubs gave it a thumbs up so YAY for me and my cooking skills.

No photo but:

One pound chicken breast
Two egg Whites
1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Panko

-Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees
-Combine Panko and Italian Bread Crumbs in bowl
--Drudge chicken breasts in egg then Bread Crumb mixture
-Place chicken breasts in frying pan with one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-Cook 5 minutes, flip and cook another 5 minutes
-After the outside is crispy, put the chicken in a baking dish and put into oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with rice and broccoli.

Serves 3-4 people.

I Have a Problem

They always say the first step to recovery is acceptance. Well, I'm not sure if I want to recover from this but....I'm a LipAholic. I love lip stuff; chapstick, lip balm, gloss, stain, lipstick...I love it all! I can't help myself. Every time something new comes out I have to buy it. It's a sickness really.

Case-in-point, I was organizing my purse and found ALL of these in there. These are just my go-to, not even the stash I have at home for special occasions or surplus. And as I told my husband, yes I do need all of the slightly different colored glosses. :) Some have some sparkles for drawing attention, some are light tints, some are matte. See...they're different.



1) Neosporin Lip Repair
2) Chapstick Brand Lip Balm (tinted and vitamin infused)
3) Victoria Secret Lip Gloss
4) Cover Girl Lip Enhancement Gloss
5) Burt's Bees Wax Super Shiny Lip Gloss in Zesty Red
6) Spearmint Flavored Chapstick from the dentist
7) Carmex Moisture Plus Lip Balm
8) Good ol' fashion Carmex in a squeeze tube

What? :)

I'm "One of Those"

I was telling the Hubs about the book I was reading. He said, "What's it about?" I tell him:
It's about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, her best friend is a werewolf, she ends up marrying the vampire, she gets pregnant with his half-vampire/half-human baby, she "dies" during birth, becomes a vampire herself and lives happily ever after.

......Cue the crickets and blank stare from the Hubs.

"Um......okay then," he says.

Yes, I just finished the "Twilight" saga. I understand how that conversation sounds, I do. But I got sucked in. I actually uttered the words "Team Jacob" after the second book and, although I can't stand Kristen Stewart, want to now see the movies.

I'm a late 20-something and I like "Twilight".

I never thought this day would come.

My Poor Little Kindle

I must stay I love my Kindle. The Hubs bought it for me this past October as a very, very early Christmas present. I use the heck out of it because I commute an hour each way to and from work. I get a lot of reading done and in order not to lug around a 600-page book, I just carry around my thin, light Kindle.

I turned it on one day to use it and the screen was broken!!



I wanted to cry! Why?!?! Every time I tried to turn it on or off a part of the screen would always stay on the screen and it basically just kept adding up on screen. I was so upset and I thought it was a ton of money down the drain. I only had my little Kindle about 5 months before it broke.

I decided to call Amazon to see what they could do for me. They asked if I dropped/spilled/crushed it, I said no. They said "okay, the Kindle came with a 1-year warranty so we'll have a new one shipped to you by Friday (this was Wednesday). Just send the broken one back in the box the new one comes in. Enjoy your newest Kindle."

I....was....shocked! Amazon made it so easy and stress-free!! My new Kindle showed up on Friday and it works like a charm.:)

I'm back to being a reading fool!!

Life According to....

Artist:
Vanessa Carlton

Are you Male or Female:
"She Floats"

Describe yourself:
"Pretty Baby"

How do you feel:
"Unsung"

Describe where you currently live:
"Home"

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
"A Thousand Miles"

Your favorite form of transportation:
"Sway"

Your best friend is:
"The One"

You and your best friends are:
"Heroes & Thieves"

What's the weather like:
"Spring Street"

Favorite time of day:
"Twilight"

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
"Nolita Fairytale"

What is life to you:
"Afterglow"

Your last relationship:
"Fools Like Me"

Your fear:
"Come Undone"

What is the best advice you have to give:
"C'est La Vie"

Thought for the Day:
"Wanted"

How I would like to die:
"San Francisco"

I'm in Love

I picked up some Skinny Cow dessert at the grocery store because they were on sale. I figured I'd try them but thought they'd taste like all the other diet/low-fat/no sugar ice cream; i.e. cold blended cardboard.

I took one bite and it was like a spotlight turned on, shined down on me and angels were singing a chorus! Holy yum!! So refreshing, with the soft, yummy, chocolately cookie. I could eat three, but I guess that would defeat the purpose of them being low-cal and no fat. Even the hubs likes them. They come in all yummy flavors and in bars and cones. Let the drooling in the frozen food aisle begin!

Italian Kids Vs. American Kids

If you know my family, you know why this post is appropriate. If you don't know my family, we're "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" but we're Italian. Our family get-togethers are loud, obnoxious and tons of fun. We're in each other's business (in good and bad ways), have 27 first cousins and instead of roasting lamb in the front yard, we make sausage in my grandfather's basement once a year. We hug everyone regardless of how long we've known you, you're a guest ONCE and then you're family and all my aunts look similar enough my husband of 4 years has just recently been able to tell them apart. We're laugh hard, love hard and are fiercely protective.

American Kids: When their mom visits them, she brings a bundt cake, you sip coffee and chat.
Italian Kids: When their mom visits she brings 3 days worth of food, begins to tidy up, dust, do laundry, and rearrange the furniture.

American Kids: Their Dad's always call before they come over.
Italian Kids: They're not at all fazed when their Dad shows up unannounced on a Saturday morning to prune the fruit trees. If there are no fruit trees, he'll plant some.

American Kids: Always pay retail and look in the Yellow Pages when they need something done.
Italian Kids: Call their Dad or Uncle, and ask for another dad or uncle's phone number to get it done. Cash deal, ya know?

American Kids: Will invite you over for coffee and cake and you'll get coffee and cake.
Italian Kids: Will invite you over for coffee and cake and you'll get coffee, cake, antipasto, wine, a pasta dish, bread, a choice of two meats, a cannoli, fruit, espresso and some after-dinner drinks.

American Kids: Will greet you with "hello" or "hi".
Italian Kids: Will give you a big hug, kiss on your cheek and pat on the back.

American Kids: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
Italian Kids: Call your parents Mom and Dad.

American Kids: Borrow your stuff for a few days and then return it.
Italian Kids: Borrow your stuff for so long they forget it's yours.

American Kids: Will eat dinner with you then leave.
Italian Kids: Will spend hours there talking, laughing and being loud.

American Kids: Know a few things about you.
Italian Kids: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

American Kids: Eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread.
Italian Kids: Eat Genoa salami and provolone sandwiches on crusty Italian bread.

My Life According To...

Artist:
Carrie Underwood

Are you Male or Female:
"All-American Girl"

Describe yourself:
"We're Young and Beautiful"

How do you feel:
"Twisted"

Describe where you currently live:
"Temporary Home"

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
"Jesus, Take the Wheel"

Your favorite form of transportation:
"Wheel of the World"

Your best friend is:
"Last Name"

You and your best friends are:
"Lessons Learned"

What's the weather like:
"The Night Before"

Favorite time of day:
"Inside Your Heaven"

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
"Play On"

What is life to you:
"Crazy Dreams"

Your last relationship:
"Cowboy Casanova"

Your fear:
"I Know You Won't"

What is the best advice you have to give:
"Unapologize"

Thought for the Day:
"I Told You So"

How I would like to die:
"Porcelain Fists"

My Life According To...

This started on Facebook and I decided to make it a blog thing. No matter what I'm feeling (happy, sad, frustrated, excited, hopeful, etc.) I always find songs to match my mood. Music can always say it better.

This one was my original one in August.

Artist:
Ingrid Michaelson

Are you a male or female:
"Lady in Spain"

Describe yourself:
"Can't Help Falling in Love"

How do you feel:
"Be OK"

Describe where you currently live:
"Highway"

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
"Over the Rainbow"

Your favorite form of transportation:
"Empty Bottle"

Your best friend is:
"Far Away"

You and your best friends are:
"Overboard"

What's the weather like:
"Oh What a Day"

Favorite time of day:
"Around You"

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
"The Way I Am"

What is life to you:
"A Bird's Song"

Your last relationship:
"Let Go"

Your fear:
"Die Alone"

What is the best advice you have to give:
"Keep Breathing"

Thought for the Day:
"Starting Now"

How I would like to die:
"Porcelain Fists"