That's The Way

This past Saturday was the baseball wives joint baby shower. We received so many wonderful gifts for Maxwell - he wont go naked after all ;) I am one of 6 pregnant wives this year! 2 women had their babies within the last couple of months and the rest of us are due between September and January. Baby boom?? It's pretty incredible to be going through the ups and downs of pregnancy with so many friends; all of us experiencing similar feelings and watching each other grow and prepare to be mothers. [Pics below - baby shower]

Chris and I also spent some time with his family this past weekend. Uncle Bobby, aunt Millie and cousin Lyndsay drove up from South Carolina making stops along the way at hot spots from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. They treated Chris and I to brunch at another spot on their food tour, Lucky's Cafe, here in Cleveland. I shared deliciously thick waffles with Lyndsay although I must say the breakfast burrito Millie ordered and let me taste was surprisingly delicious! Needless to say, I am now a total addict for Lucky's Cafe. Chris and I made a return trip four days later and shared Mac and Cheese and grilled cheese with caramelized onions....YUMMMMMM! I want it again now just thinking about it!

Following brunch we toured the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and its archives. It's amazing how much memorabilia they hold in the archives. Clothing, shoes, instruments, photos, letters, lyrics, childhood items and more! They alternate the items on display but I don't know that they will ever really show all of the items they have! Having a close up look at the musicians clothing really puts into perspective their size. They are so much smaller than they appear. It was also really cool seeing the musicians hand written song lyrics; to see what they first thought and wrote down, and then crossed out to rewrite the lyrics to some of the most popular songs we know today. Billy Joel's "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" was really written while he was eating at an Italian restaurant! Sauce on the paper and all! I wondered what the Hall of Fame will have to show for current and future artists who write their lyrics on computers? Time will tell... [Pics below - family at the Hall of Fame & Chris signing the Wall of Fame]

Belly Pic 4: Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!

Here are the latest pictures - from the left: 26, 28 and 29 weeks (outfit is still the same at 29 weeks but the picture and color quality from the webcam have nothing on a real camera). Anyway we're moving right along, 2 trimester's down and 1 to go! Pregnancy mood swings are in full effect and worst in the evenings, so try to avoid me if you can...(so sorry Chris). I know that I'm being a witch but I just can't stop myself :( It's awful.

We've been calling the baby Maxwell Alexander for about a month or so and it seems to have stuck, so that's most likely what he will be named when he arrives. His movements have been more frequent, strong and predictable and at times he rests his bony tush right up to my belly so that part of my belly is very firm! Last weekend I hardly felt him move at all so the doc set me up with a stress test and ultrasound this past Monday & Thursday. Thank goodness he's doing just fine and back to normal. I don't really have any good ultrasound pics to post - they're hard to make out so hang tight until the next one. He is 3 pounds already...might just be a big baby after all!

Belly Pic 3 (Updated July 2)

I'm sorry for the delay of pictures - its been a while since Chris was home on a picture day (Friday) but here's the latest. For your comparison pictured left to right is 19 weeks, 21 weeks and today 25 weeks (July 2). I'm larger and more uncomfortable as the weeks go on! I started swimming a few weeks ago and love it. It feels so good to be in the pool and moving around. The baby seems to really enjoy it also. He has been moving more frequently this week and Chris has been able to feel him squirm, especially today :) It's great being able to share this experience with him in any way I can.

Evermore

I rang the doorbell and heard the familiar buzz granting me access into the house. I went up the staircase lined with black and white wallpaper which is still in perfect condition, not an edge in sight peeling. The door opens and the white tile is sparkling. Everything looks just like I remember. Aside from a new stove top the kitchen is the same, the carpet is the same-worn on the staircase where me and my siblings slid down one too many times, couches still perfectly preserved in plastic. Grandma Barbara hands me some photo albums to look through with my sister Mindy while she cooks up some of her delicious food. When we finished looking through all of the albums I put them away and noticed some toys that we used to play with as kids: the Bingo wheel my brother and sisters would spin, the building set we would fight over to make towering masterpieces, the hanging curtains I wore when I pretend married my childhood crush. It's all still there. Even though I hadn't been to my grandma's house in a while before that visit, it felt like I had just been there yesterday and that no time had passed at all. We live in such a fast paced world where everything changes so quickly and were constantly looking forward to the next great thing, its easy to forget how sometimes the unchanged can be so nice.

Ultrasound 3 - 19 weeks 3 days

Our third and "big" ultrasound was May 24th. Chris was finally able to join me so I didn't have to feel like a single mom! I really enjoyed having him there to share the experience and was hoping he could see the baby squirm around like it did last time, only the baby slept through the entire ultrasound :(

So it's a boy and he is growing so quickly. I can't believe I'm more than halfway there. This pregnancy is flying by...I'm sure in 10 weeks I am going to be saying the opposite!

It's a Boy!!

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

So my gender dreams were accurate...maybe its not just an old wives tale! Everything looks good...brain, spine, bones etc! His heartbeat is now 141. We're very excited!!

A Few Random Pictures & Events

Mindy & Jonathan's 2nd 24th Birthday Dinner @ Benihana:

One of the cake's from birthday dinner @ dads - thanks for all the helping hands to make this!

Event for Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland - one of the official Cleveland Indians Charities. It was a bowling event (obviously), Indians vs. Browns teams. Amy, pictured below on the right is an amazing bowler and deserved to take the trophy home having won best female bowler out of all the bowlers there! I on the other hand, won the worst female bowler and took home a lovely vase from Crate & Barrel and some coupons for free bowling :) Honestly though, I wasn't even that bad! There was some serious competition (see Amy & Jackie below: two of the many competitive bowlers)!

Me with Onion, my favorite hot dog at the field! Love her new hot pink purse! LOL