Boy or Girl? That is the question....

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We have a A VERY VERY ACTIVE BOY!

We could not be more thrilled!

Philip really wanted a boy and I have always wanted a boy as my first child (ever since I was little!). We are so excited to prepare for a boy... minus the baby blue :)

Oh and we dont have a name officially...We had the girls name completely picked out but couldnt decide on the boys....so the fun begins.... 

We go back in 9 days for our REAL ultrasound... Our OB wasn't going to do one today as she had previously promised but I begged. I am ordering custom bedding for our little boy and the sale for the bedding ends Dec 31st (30% off!). She said she was a sucker for shopping so she caved (even though she had 21 patients) Not only did we get an ultrasound but she left us in the room (because she started to panic that she couldnt tell the sex) and she left us with the ultrasound machine with instructions "don't drop the wand!" We got to play around with the wand checking out our baby boy for about 15 minutes. Philip was in heaven and it was definitely a once in a lifetime expereince. She she came back she confirmed we definitely had a boy in there and the excitement began! So... in 9 days we go back for the real deal where they will check all of the organs and make sure that everything looks healthy!

17 week belly shot....not much for a belly... but its growing daily. I have gained a total of 4 lbs so far this pregnancy!

I think I like more like a college student that has eaten a little too much ice cream or pizza. Most people don't have a clue and if anything probably think I put on a few lbs over the holidays which cracks me up since I have been in the gym 5 days a week!

Paint the town green, brown and ivory....... no baby blue for us!

After almost 2 years...

I finally got to see Anna!

Over the break we got to see my beloved friend, Anna Wheeler who has been living in Hawaii since our wedding almost 3 years ago.

We met up in Asheville, NC (2 hour drive) where she and her mom were visiting her brother. I didnt get to see her when she flew in last year because of our crazy schedules so I was so excited to be able to see her this year!

Philip was so sweet to drive me up there to meet her for lunch. We enjoyed catching up, she rubbed the teeny tiny belly and eating some delicious food at Tupelo Honey Cafe.....which was delicious and rated one of the best places for Brunch/Lunch in Asheville.

Love you Bananna....and miss you always...

8 nights of Hanukkah

We had to start Hanukkah two nights early since I missed two nights while I was out of town. I decorated for Hanukkah about a week prior and this is what I came up with for 2008. 

This year we had a budget of $100 each. Something tells me that we both went over, but at least we tried...It will be our last year of just the two of us and since Philip loves getting presents I wanted it to be special.

We also gave a $100 Bi-Lo gift card for a family in need. They asked for groceries and this just crushed my heart. I hope the gift card bought them enough groceries to get them through the holidays!

This is the last year that we will probably exchange gifts all 8 nights to just each other so here goes...

Night 1: I got a whoopie cushion and a maternity sweater from Target, Philip got NC State Coaster's for his man room.

Night 2: I got Hanukkah Driedel anntena ears to wear to our Hanukkah Party and Philip got a Shower Clock/Radio

Night 3: I got a Baby Peapod, Maternity Shirt, and New Mom Pregnancy Coupons, Philip got a collapsible box for his car embrodiered with "Philip's Stuff" (mainly for his smelly shoes etc), an NC State Golf Club cover and an NC State Embrodiered polo shirt.

Night 4: Renee got a Fuzzy Navy Blue Zip Up Hooded Jacket from REI and Philip got a Henry Jacobson Tie.

Night 5: I got a maternity outfit, pink tank top and grey and pink top and pants to wear around the house, Philip got a sweater from Bananna Republic.

Night 6: We didn't exchange gifts because we went to the Bass Hanukkah.

Night 7 & Night 8: Renee got chip clips and THE RETURN OF THE MEREDITH COLLEGE RING (I misplaced my ring over 3 years ago - it was causing a rash on my finger from wearing it too much and some how misplaced it. 3 years later and two moves Philip found it in an old purse months ago when he was going through an old box. That was TWO MONTHS AGO. He hid it away and decided to give it to me for Hanukkah on the final night). I started crying when I opened it. This ring means a whole heck of a lot to me and to know that I now have it back feels just like it did when I got it my Junior year of college at our ring dinner. Philip got new black gym shorts and another Henry Jacobson tie. 

Parents: I made both sets of parent's chip and dip sets in my pottery class and custom glazed them for each of them. We got Dad S a nice pull over Sweater, Mom S a chalkboard cheese serving tray which chalk so she can write down what each cheese is on the tray, Mom B a clock that says, "It's time to call Mom" because we talk ALL of the time and a coffee grinder and Dad B two custom embroidered tops (jacket and sweater) with his company logo and a tickle me glove to use on the baby.

Sister and Fiance: This year we gave Eliza the big gift of buying her wedding dress for her wedding so we decided to give them something small. We got Eliza and Rich each a cute top from the Gap.

Bella and Happy (the dogs): got sweaters from the Target $1 section that say "High Maintenance"

We were so proud that we were able to do Hanukkah on a budget and we were able to get almost everything on sale. I shopped for months in advanced so I was able to get the best deals without going broke... we are saving after all for something quite BIG :)

The 6th night of Hanukkah we celebrated with the Bass Family: Steak Dinner, Potato Latkes, Salad, Broccoli Cassserole and some nasty dessert that I attempted to make that was a complete flop. The Bass parents gave out gifts to us kids and we played Cranium. We had a great time and my mom was better than she and my dad both thought she would be! Ultimately Eliza and Rich were the champions and Bella was ready for it to be over!

We were so thankful to be able to spend Hanukkah with our families this year. We enjoyed lighting the candles together each night, singing songs, bringing back old family traditions and creating new ones and celebrating the festival of lights together. Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays... love Renee, Philip, Bella and Baby S!

Where have we been?

It has been quite a busy 5 days for us.

Saturday night was the annual Vodka Latke Party that I helped throw. Last year it was at our house with 50+ people and I just couldnt mentally do it again this year with all of the upcoming stuff I had going on in the week. Our rabbi and her husband graciously asked to host and it was a blast. She had always wanted to have a margarita party at her house so we added Margar

itas and Miracles to the title. We had almost 70 people this year which was a record for our group: NextDOR (which means the next generation in Hebrew). Admission for the party was either a bottle of vodka or latkes. We had a latke cook off contest beteween all of the people that brought them. Here are the winners with their prizes (Vodka!).

The best part of the night was when we realized that their started to form a "keg party" on the rabbi's front lawn. One of the participants makes her own homebrew which I have been told is amazing, and we set it up on the porch. Between folks drinking beer on the front porch and the massive blow up Hanukkah Teddy Bear and Driedel the rabbi's front lawn was a sight to be seen that night.

Sunday I got up super early and drove to Raleigh for brunch with my girls from college. Lindsey and Heather hosted and we all had a fantastic time celebrating together. This was probably the first time ALL of us had been together since graduation. It's amazing how much can change in 5-6 years. 

Heather and I are both pregnant and only 4 weeks apart! 

Lindsey gave us both adoreable NC State sippy cups to congratulate us and they will definitely be put to use! We did a dirty gift exchange and had a blast stealing from Sarah as we always seem to do :). Caroline also got engaged after 8 years of dating her boyfriend. We were all in shock and screaming because we could not believe it had finally happened. Her ring is to die for....gorgeous, but then again after all those years of waiting it was worth the wait!

Next stop was Clayton to visit Cassie, Nathan and their new baby Garrett. I had a lovely time with them and it was so great to see the little man. He is quite cute and I got to hold him for awhole. Cassie also gave me some great breast feeding tips that I will definitely be utilizing wh

en my time comes in a few months!

Finally my last stop was Courtney and Josh's to celebrate the First Night of Hanukkah. I was pretty bummed that I couldn't be with Philip to celebrate, but his work schedule wouldnt allow him to leave Charlotte for a day. Philip has been home working like a crazy man because this is his busy time of year at work. Courtney and Josh put together an amazing Hanukkah dinner. Josh's potato latke's were probably THE BEST I have ever had. My camera died (I can't stand this thing and am counting the days till I order my new one) so I have no photos of the rest of the night. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends who opened their home to me on Hanukkah. By 8:45 I was exhausted. This was such a long day for me. I made my way back to my hotel room and Anne met up with me. She was in for our girls brunch and visiting her sister. I had two beds at the hotel so it was the perfect chance for us to catch and get a little "us" time. I missed her terribly over the past 5 years while she was working for the Republican National Committee and White House. p.s. She was pretty important :).

Monday I went to the office in Raleigh. I could type a novel about my day in the office. I will leave it at... I could never work in the office and do my job. I am so thankful that I work from home. We did a white elephant gift exchange at lunch and I got Catch Phrase which we are looking forward to playing! Monday night was our company holiday dinner at Bogart's. It was lovely and they definitely did it up right. I enjoyed Flank Steak, Mashed Potato's, Asparagus, Salad and Apple Pie.....I was full and exhausted. It was nice to make a visit but I was completely exhausted. Being pregnant has wiped the life out of me in my 2nd trimester.

Tuesday I woke up at 5 and drove home. I was so ready to be back in Charlotte and to see Philip and Bella and to CELEBRATE HANUKKAH!

What happened to Happy Holidays?

This is driving me crazy and this is one place I can get this off my chest.

Why do some people wish you a "Merry Christmas".... when they don't know you and don't know what you celebrate? Isn't a Happy Holidays sufficient and a little more respectful?

When I am around friends that I KNOW celebrate Christmas I wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. If I don't know your belief's, a good ole jolly "Happy Holidays" will do the trick.

This particularly bothered me when I called a major electric company that is a client of mine and the operator answered the phone, "Merry Christmas". Of course my response was...."Well sir, what someone doesn't celebrate Christmas?" and I just sat there in shock as I listened to him fumble his words and trasnfer me to my client. They don't answer the phone, "Happy Halloween, Happy Easter or Happy Passover". Wouldn't a Happy Holiday's be sufficient?

There are a myriad of holidays afterall that the world is celebrating in the next 30 days, correct?

Ok, just making sure my pregnant brain isnt getting to me any more than it already has.

You are pregnant?

"You are pregnant?"

Yes I am.

"Do you eat?"

Yes... I eat plenty, I just work out 4-5 days a week.

"How far along are you?"

A little over 15 weeks.

"Wow, when I was 15 weeks I was HUGE!"

Yeah, I hear that a lot.

This is becoming quite a common conversation.

Either I am thanking god that I am not showing at all other than some minor body changes that are only visible when I am naked or begging for some type of belly bump to magically appear.

The first photo is Week 6, Second Photo is Week 13, Third Week 15. I guess side by side you can see my "naked difference" but no one else see's it this "revealed". Not as"definted or flat" like it was, but nothing to show off.

I think I can hold off on the begging for a few weeks, ohhh at least 5. Right now I am thankful that my weight gain is minimal to none and my body hasnt really started to "pop" yet, just round out a little. My chest on the other hand is a totally different story and the photos dont do it justice. I think I will guess that I will end up at least an F at some point during this pregnancy.

We find out the sex Dec 29th....less than two weeks away and I am not going to lie I am counting.

Everyone thinks it is a girl....but no one has a very compelling reason.

My gut says .....

...

...

NOTHING ha!

Hugs and Warm Well Wishes to everyone during this joyous time of year!

Hanukka starts Sunday night so if you know anyone Jewish they will be impressed if you remember and wish them a Happy Hanukka!

Blow me up!

The family from across the street that had the ridiculous Holiday lawn set up last year FINALLY set up their blow up madness today. As I worked and watched out the window I watched the dad set up and test all FOUR massive blow ups and one light up Charlie Brown sleigh.

You know I am dying for tonight to take photos of this mess....

We are just so thankful that they only graced us with their prescense for three weeks this year vs. the 6+ weeks from last year! There is a g-d :)

ps. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE white lights, candles in the windows and beautiful wreath's with red bows? Ok... so I am really not that bad of a person. I promise.

Me, the Planner

I have to have it all together and far in advanced.

So as you can imagine I have been brainstorming since we started trying to conceive (really since I was a little girl) what I was going to do for a girls and/or boys nursery...Since we don't know and won't know until Dec 29th I will leave that post and those ideas till later.

In the mean time I can share with you the furniture that we already purchased on major sale that will sit waiting for us (to be ready mentally) to pick it up at USA Baby. The truth is that I want the crown moulding and paint to be applied to the nursery before we bring any furniture in, hence the wait.

I did a lot of research on baby furniture. I am picky all things baby... or mabe that is all thing in general...ekkk. I am not afraid to admit it. I read and re-read the book, "Baby Bargain's" (which happens to be my bible and guide) furniture/crib section, asked numerous friends that have had or just had babies to get their thoughts on the best bang for the buck. I wanted something that looked classy, dark dark wood, converted to a full size bed, real wood and wasn't ridiculously expensive. I found it!

Please meet our lovely nursery furniture by Munire, Newport Collection in Espresso.

We purchased the Universal Crib and the 6 drawer side by side dresser which is not pictured but looks like the one below with additional drawer's instead of a door (no hutch). We will not use a changing table specifically for changing. Instead we will use the top of the dresser.

Items we will be adding over the next 2 months will include: a shag rug that is brown or green, a glider upholstered chair, drapes for the windows, possible bookshelves, a lamp and a table next to the glider...and I am sure many more things I can't think of because after all... I am pregnant!

Project list includes: putting up crown moulding, painting the walls (which will include 3 solid color walls and one patterned wall), installing some type of new shelving in the closet, and a light fixture that emites light.

Did I mention I absolutely love this stuff.... now I need to find the energy to do it!

"Trespassing"

Sorry no photos on this post but definitely worth posting.

Friday at 5 PM I was walking Bella up the street. Our normal stroll to the top of our street and back down in hopes that she would "double" as we like to call it. Of course the first house she started sniffing out as she was pacing back and forth the owner's garage started going up as she decided to plop herself down on her lawn to do #2.

The lady came out of her garage to greet the Park's Heating and Cooling truck that was parked outside her house. On her way I said, "sorry my dog only likes to go on lawns when people pull up" jokingly as I was bending down picking up the poop. (NOTE PICKING UP THE POOP).

She immediately snapped back. Your dog better never poop on my lawn again. That is rude. I looked at her in absolute disbelief and said, "You can' t be serious?" She replied with, "Your trespassing on my yard and if I ever see you or your dog on my lawn again I am going to call the police!" Again I could not believe what I was hearing... thinking, there has to be some law about this in my defense.... I'm picking up the freaking poop lady?

Instead of screaming at her "Who peed in your cheerios this morning" or throwing the poop bag at her... I slowly walked off and muttered to her "Ohhhh.... I am shaking in my boots".

I am speechless. Trespassing....Calling the police?
Seriously?
My dog can't poop on a yard when I pick it up each and every time.
This is news to me...especially when hundred's of people in our neighborhood let their dogs poop on yards....and often don't even pick it up!

Bahhumbug...
I would love your thoughts/comments.... tell me I am crazy, tell me I am right.

Check me out!

Today we had our first trimester screening at 13 weeks and 2 days.

During this ultrasound they measure the skin on the back of the baby's neck to make sure it is under 3 cm's. Baby Schreibman measured at 1.6! They also do a finger prick for blood and will send that off to make sure the baby is healthy.

We had quite an active baby this morning. Baby Schreibman was waving at us like he/she was on the red carpet! We got some fantastic photos from the U/S.

Philip really wants a boy.... I have no preference. Once the tech found out that he wanted a boy she kept going back to check and see. It truly is too early for her to tell. She said what is there could be a swollen female part of a male part but either way we need to mentally wait until Dec 29th for our next appointment at 17 weeks to truly get a good idea of our baby's true identity.

I am sure Philip will have everyone convinced our baby is a boy before the end of this year....

YAY for a healthy and growing baby and NO WEIGHT GAIN (for now at least hahah) !

The rumor's are true.....We are expecting!

Baby Schreibman is due June 7 2009!

After many many months of patience I am finally pregnant and we are having a baby!

13 weeks pregnant and not a lick of morning sickness. Don't hate me.

It was quite a journey for us so let me go back 11 months ago to share with you what I have kept such a tight secret for the past 3+ months from the blogging world....and so many people.

Our story....

I came off my birth control in March thinking that I was going to get pregnant right away...boy was I wrong. My body had something totally different in store for me. After waiting patiently for 60 days and no period I called the doctor concerned. She gave me a drug called Provera which ultimately is supposed to force on a period. I took the 10 day dose and waited another 2 weeks as instructed. Once my period would come the doctor wanted me to immediately go on to Clomid because I was obviously not ovulating. I was extremely skeptical because I figured....why can't we try on our own for a little bit. I quickly learned that was not god's plan for us.

NOTHING.....Over 100 days had passed and I still had not completed one full cycle. Finally at 120 days out my doctor put me back on birth control for one month to hopefully force a period. 30 days later... NOTHING but very light spotting. Unfortunately at this point we had no choice but to go on the Clomid. I started off the first month taking 50 mg (the lowest dose). I took the medicine chart day 5-9. The side effects were brutal. Mood swings, cramping, bloating, horrible acne and welts, hot flashes, exhaustion....and the list goes on. I was sick for about 3 1/2 weeks of what was supposed to be a 4 week cycle. On chart day 21 I had my Progresterone blood level drawn to find out that the medication didn't work and I didnt Ovulate as we had hoped. My level was 1....Pathetic. The doctor decided that because the medication didnt do much of anything that she would jack the dose up to 150 mg. I was pretty nervous about taking the drugs due to the increase in dose in addition to a company trip to Vegas. After last months side effects I was concerned I might feel sick again on our company trip. Luckily the 2nd month was a breeze compared to the first. I was only sick for one week and it was much later on. I had an ultrasound on chart day 11 and I had three follicles on my right ovary and 3 on the left that ranged from 10-14 mm....PERFECT! On chart day 21 I went in and found out that I had officially Ovulated on this new dose! YIPPEE...now the prayer came into play! I patiently waited and waited and waited to test..... secretly. Philip kept asking me when I was testing but I wanted it to be a surprise. Sunday night Oct 28th I had a little bit of spotting but knew that this was often a sign of implantation so I tested.... You would've thought I was making it up if I were to show you the test but I swore there was the faintest of faint lines. Somehow I decided to wait and test again in the morning. I laid in bed from 11 PM - 3 AM tossing and turning, but NOT sleeping. I tried to listen to my ipod to put me to sleep but nothing worked. Around 3 AM I decided to test again in the middle of the night (after holding my first morning urine for 5 hours) with a First Response Early Response test that can pick up results better than any other test (4-5 days earlier than most) and after anxiously waiting for 3 minutes - PREGNANT SHOWED UP ON THE TEST!!!!. It was 3 am.....

I didn't want to wake Philip because I had planned out exactly how I would share the news. I had put together a tool belt that says "Dad's Tool Belt" on it. I made this from scratch . Philip had always wanted a tool belt so I couldnt think of a better way to show him he was about to be a daddy. I stuffed the tool belt with everything "baby". The Expectant Father, diapers, Butt Paste, Pacifier's, syringe's, burp cloth's you name it. I wrapped it up in a box and put the positive test right on top of the tool belt. It just so happened that this day was Erev (night before) Rosh Hashannah (the Jewish New Year!). I told him that I bought him a gift for the Jewish New Year and I wanted him to open it. Philip loves gifts for any occassion so he was all in. Word's can't explain how excited we were to finally be able to celebrate together after a stressful couple of months with the fertility drugs. We were beyond elated.....

BUT we had to keep it to ourselves! Philip's mom was extremely busy with the Temple and the Jewish High Holiday's and we wanted to be able to tell our parents together the exciting news. We waited three LONG days till we could get them all together. I had been working on a slideshow for a month or two that was a recap of the past 12 months we had lived in Charlotte since it was our 1 year celebration in our house. I invited the parents over to see the slideshow and have dinner after the holidays. Philip brought home a projector from work and we projected the slideshow set to music on our wall in our family room. The first slide read "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a move to Charlotte..." The last slide was the positive test witht the words..."Then Comes a baby....Baby Schreibman Due June 7, 2009" We set up a hidden camera and caught their reaction on tape. It was priceless but my firewire isn't work so i can trasnfer the video to the computer :(. Needless to say it included a lot of screaming, tears and "I knew it!"

We couldn't be more excited and now that the first trimester is past us we are living in the moment and enjoying every single day of this pregnancy.

I have been able to maintain my same workout regime throughout the entire first trimester, 4-5 days a week for 90 minutes. I have been craving cheese burger's, sushi (which I still eat cooked) and peanut butter sandwiches. I have been extremely thirsty drinking 10-12+ , 8 oz glasses of water a day. I can even stay up till 10, 11, 12 PM at night! I wake up every two hours to go to the bathroom at night and have had many tension headaches...but NO morning sickness.

I am so thankful that after a few months of misery on fertility drugs that g-d granted me a lovely first trimester!

So far no bump.... but I am sure in the next 2-4 weeks my baby bump will become much more obvious.....and I will share when there is something to show for it! We go for our first trimester screenings on Tuesday and will update with an ultrasound photo then! I am looking forward to finally opening up about being pregnant and sharing all of the experiences.

We are so blessed!

Black Friday Thoughts

Every other year I hit the pavement at 5 or 6 AM.
I dont know why I had an obsession with Black Friday and going out to the stores but I always have. This year was different. Recently I had been ordering a lot of things online, especially when the gas prices hit the roof.

I read on many blogging sites that you could get many of the same deals online that you could in the store with free shipping. So....I saved myself the sleep, the stress and the sanity and woke up at a 8 AM, opened my computer and got to work!

BEST DECISION I made!
I really hope not too many of your went out there or had any problems like what happened at Walmart.....But ALL of my Hanukkah shopping is done, I am relaxed and couldn't be more happier with my decision to stay home on Black Friday for the first time EVER!

You should think about giving it a try next year. Save yourself the sleep!

I will note that I did go out to one specialty store around 11 AM and IT WAS DEAD OUT THERE!? I don't know if it was the economy or other smart shopper's like myself but I couldn't believe how many empty parking spots I found. I had never seen anything like this on Black Friday...even at 11 AM.

Turkey Time

Thanksgiving was finally here!

Cousin Brittan prepared a beautiful Thanksgiving Turkey for us to enjoy!

I woke up bright and early ready for the day to begin at 7 AM.

We figured since we would be eating TWO Thanksgiving meals we would hit up the gym beforehand. Best decision we made all day, aside from eating!

First stop was the Bass House....2 PM: My future brother in-law's parents came in from Winston Salem to spend the holiday with us and we truly enjoyed meeting with them and spending time with them. They are two of the sweetest people and you can tell they adore my sister. What more could I ask for...right? A Bass family tradition is to go around the table to say what we are thankful for. Boy we have so much to be thankful for this year and this upcoming year....and we made sure to get it all out in the open! Dinner was yummmmy....probably the best Thanksgiving Dinner my mom has ever made. Yup that is right. BEST SHE HAS EVER MADE! Turkey, brocoli casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoe casserole, stuffing and cranberry sauce (which I dont eat) I ate a tiny bit of everything so that I could try it all but not fill up before our 2nd stop. We headed over to the 2nd stop around 5:30p.

Second stop was the Schreibman House...5:40 PM: Uncle Bill and Aunt Hilda were in from Texas, Aunt Janet and Cousin Brittan were in from TN and The Littauer-Brodsky family came over as well. We had a total of 12 of us. Luckily we didn't start eating till 7 so we had time to breathe and digest....Oy! We again indulged in another meal of Turkey, two kinds of stuffing, green bean's, squash casserole, sweet potatoe casserole with pinneapple and cranberry bread. Yumm! Around 8 PM my family and Rich's parent's came over to enjoy dessert all together as one big family. We had a great time and by this point we were all stuffed and exhausted.

All the ladies...

All the men...

What a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving. With family and friends that are so dear to all of us.We felt great....at least I didn't over eat... Philip might be a different story :)

Cruisin...

Vacations are the best... time off work, no cooking, relaxation...what else more could we ask for!?
We found a killer deal for a cruise out of Jacksonville, FL for 5 days that would take us to Key West and the Bahamas. We couldn't resist the temptations to get away right before Thanksgiving so we booked it. My mom found the deal and the whole clan came along and it was a blast.

My parents, Philip's parents, my sister and Rich, Uncle Jay, Aunt Betsy and a friend Iris. Eleven of us set sail on Saturday Novemeber 15th which happened to be my sisters 25th birthday! We celebrated her birthday in style on the ship singing at her during dinner and presenting her with many cards. The trip was her gift from many of us. Philip and I also gave her a gift that will last the whole year (her wedding dress!)

The first day (the day we boarded the ship in Jacksonville) it rained on and off and the weather was less than desireable but at that point we didn't care... we were on vacation.

The second day was a day at sea and it was beautiful. We spent most of the day relaxing on the ship, soaking up the sun, reading our books and napping while the boys played ping pong, shuffle board etc.

The third day we spent at Key West. We had been to Key West before on our last cruise but we got off to check out all of the shops and eat some good food. We ate lunch at this lovely street side restaurant Fogarty's that a handful of the ship's entertainment staff was eating at so we figured it was good! We spent the rest of the day on the ship relaxing which was the theme of this vacation. Several evenings we played bingo and we always attended the shows. I can't leave off the fact that Philip got called up to be a part of one of the shows. We have a lovely video capturing his participation in the entertainment which was priceless. It involved a boa....

The fourth day was spent in the Bahamas and we spent the majority of the afternoon in the Bahamas. We shopped all of the streets and ate crabs cakes and conch at a local restaurant on the streets. It was pretty windy so we ended up heading back to the ship for dinner (and it was free as always which was a plus!) This evening was the talent show and Rich entered and performed for the guests of the cruise ship. He was definintely the best act! He sang and played the piano....!

The final day was at sea and it was quite rocky. Not the rockiest I have been on but pretty rocky. Enough that the barf bags appeared all over the boat! We REALLY Relaxed today because it was too chilly to spend time on the deck sunbathing. I finished reading TWILIGHT!

ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW of OUR TRIP!

We truly enjoyed our very relaxing vacation minus the constant headache I had from all of my recent neck/back pain. We slept really well thanks to the slight rocking of the ship. NONE of us got sea sick :) We are all very well rested and ready for another short week before THANKSGIVING (our favorite holiday!).

Aunt Hilda and Uncle Bill are coming in from TX, Aunt Janet and Cousin Brittan are coming from TN, Rich's parents are coming from Winston and Eliza and Rich from DC! We can't wait to have everyone in town including all of our friends for the big annual Friday night JEW CREW PARTY!

Lots of big updates this coming weekend/Monday! Stay tuned...
Family...shopping...lots of food...dress shopping with my sister...and so many photos!

Blessings!

Wednesday evening was a very busy evening for two very close friends of mine.

Raleigh:

Cassie Hall one of my best friends since my freshmen year of college gave birth to her first child Garrett Christopher Hall at 10:40 PM via emergency C-section. Garrett weighed 8 lbs 4 oz, 21 inches long and was almost two weeks early! Both mom and baby are doing wonderful. I am so sad I won't be able to meet little Garrett until December but I know he will be worth the wait! Congratulations to Cassie and Nathan on their first child!

Charlotte:

Kim Amster a very close family friend of ours gave birth to her second child! Kim and her husband Payam waited to find out the sex of their child and were surprised with a bouncing baby boy! They already have a daughter Soraya who is 2 years old! Kim was due Friday so he came right on time! I have yet to confirm some of the details however I am 99% sure they named him Ari. Congratulations to Kim, Payam and Soraya on their new edition! We can't wait to meet Ari!

What a wonderful blessing for two wonderful friends.

I am in baby heaven....

Faster than the speed of lightening!

You would've thought we were Speedy Gonzalez this weekend.

First stop to visit Lauren, Shawn and 3 week old Ella Grace. Lauren and I not only went to high school together but we also went to college together... we have known each other for a a VERY LONG time so this was really exciting....she is a mommy! Unfortunately we could only stay for 45 minutes but we had a great time. Ella Grace is beautiful and she loves to snuggle on her mommy's chest. Lauren and Shawn are definitely blessed with a beauty! Thanks for letting us stop by to see your new bundle of joy!

Second stop Panera to pick up lunch to bring to Cassidy and Andrew's.

We picked up lunch for everyone and headed over to their house to visit for a few hours. Philip had never met Keelyn and I don't think he had seen Hailey since her 1 year old birthday party. Hailey is now 3 and Keelyn is 9 months! I think Hailey was a little scared of Philip at first, but by the end of our visit she was running around showing off all of her stuff to him. We had a great time hanging out with the kids, feeding our bellies and taking lots of fun pictures! Thanks for letting us stop even if it was only for a short visit!

Third stop was to Courtney and Josh's....were I preceded to take a nap. I know go figure. I go over to a friend's house and crash :) They are used to it. Thank god. Courtney wasn't even home so Philip and Josh hung out and watched football.

Fourth Stop: NC Tigers End of the Year Banquet Dinner. About 50 people ending up coming which was a fantastic turnout. The dress code was cocktail attire and Philip and I had a bet about the dress code. He was convinced that these sweaty stink athletic dudes were not going to get dressed up and that the women or wives wouldn't be wearing cocktail dresses.... I won....! Everyone looked so sharp and snazzy. It was the perfect way to congratulate the team on a fantastic year (one of their best year's since Philip has been playing with the team, which has been 7 YEARS!) The three course dinner was fantastic and it was great to catch up with everyone!

I didn't make it to the gym at all this weekend. What a let down....

and because my back has decided to flare up I haven't slept either.

Bah humbug! Poor Philip!

Pain in the Neck...

You would think that I slep in some concocted position (like my friend's baby) when I talk about the amount of neck/back pain I am in....

Yes I have a history of really bad neck and back pain... and it comes and goes without any warning. But this is out of control.

I am breaking down and heading to the Chiropractor today to get re-aligned.
I cant even sit in some of my pilates positions, or on both butt checks because my hips are completely uneven!

Side note... for the first time ever in my life my insurance does not cover ANY chiropractic care.
I think this is such a joke....no coverage.

Boy does our healthcare system need to be straightened out....and so does my medical coverage (which is sub-par!). So glad we have a NEW PRESIDENT TO MAKE NEW HEALTHCARE CHANGES!

7 lbs of sugar!

Friday was a blast...

Ever since I moved to Charlotte and left Global Knowledge (which had the BEST Halloween celebration I have heard of or found anywhere)...although Leah Guenther's company is a pretty close 2nd...I have tried to make the most of Halloween on my own.

I love Halloween. I love giving out candy, telling the kids to be safe and brush their teeth and checking out their super cute costumes. I also love to entertain...so I decided this year to combine those two things. We invited several couple friends over to enjoy homemade chili, pumpkin chocolate chip bread and beer. We had a great time and everyone enjoyed checking out all of the trick or treaters.

I would run to the door when the door bell rang...or just leave the door open so I could spot the little ones. We had big ones, little ones, not dressed up trick or treaters (which Philip always gave a hard time to), slutty looking trick or treater's (who let's their kid go out looking like this!?), and the one that won best costume was Operation Man.

Let me elaborate for all of your because I didn't take a photo because it felt super creepy. It was bad enough I asked the mom to bring the child into the house to show everyone her costume. Yes I really did that. OK so back to the costume your dying to hear about.

Now you remember operation man looks like this:

Well this parent didn't just do the typical operation man with the cut outs for the different pieces...they also put foil around each opening and there was a pen just like with the real game that when you touched it to the foil the ENTIRE COSTUME VIBRATED!!!!!! I mean seriously.... it was the best costume of the night.

Philip decided that our children will never wear He-man costumes that zip up in the back from Walmart that have the big muscles...he thinks that they lack creativity and the child should go without a costume instead of that....he was pretty opinionated about this and I told him that I thought it was fantastic that he wanted our children to have creative costumes....so he gets to make/create them, while I carve the pumpkins :) Nice compromise don't you think? Bella's costume was pretty darn cute if I might add....

After spending two days preparing for this party I was exhausted by 930 and the party was dying down. We ended up giving away 7 lbs of candy. We had THAT MANY kids come through. I would estimate about 250 kids.

Philip dressed up as an Australian Rules Football Player and wore his very short shorts....hopefully he didn't scare the guests too much! We also captured some photos of Bella with our next door neighbor Amelia before it got too dark. They are best friends and enjoyed hanging out over some Halloween pretzels!

Jeff and Naomi brought Ella with them for the party and I carried her around most of the night. When I would come to the door people would ask me how old my daughter was... oh how I loved that :) Another neighbor said, "Boy I havent seen you in a while but not long enough for you to have a baby...what's the deal!?" hahhahha. She was so good and so cute in her Halloween outfit.

Happy Halloween. I hope you and your children all had a wonderful time...AND make sure they brush their teeth, PLEASE :)

Priceless...

My pooch is priceless.

I spent the entire evening carving pumpkins because Philip had class.

I not only carved my pumpkin but I also cleaned his out so that when he got home at 830 it didn't have to stay up too late....even though we didnt get in bed till 11!!!

Bella seemed to really like pumpkin carving this year. I am not sure if it was because more scraps fell on the tile kitchen floor for her to snatch up or what. She has experienced 5 Halloween's so you think this one wouldnt be any different.

I was really happy with the way the pumpkins turned out... especially mine :)

Tonight we are having several friends over to help us give out the 7 lbs of candy we bought to the hundreds of trick or treater's in our neighborhood.

I made two large pots of chilli (one veggie, one regular), beer cheese bread, cornbread, pumpkin chocolate bars and the drinks will be flowing. I am looking forward to it. I spent last night slaving over the stove baking some Banana Coffee Cake Struesel before my bananas went bad and the pumpkin chocolate bars. Boy do I love Pumpkin pie spice....it makes the whole house smell delightful!

Oh happy fall...Happy Halloween...I love this time of year!