Doggie update

He wasn't there when I went back. He's back home! Yay :)

Our puppy friend

On Sunday, I was sitting on the couch reading the paper, when I see all these cars stopped out on the street, honking their horns. I looked closer and saw a little dog in the middle of the road. Having had to experience our neighbor's dog dying in this very way a few months back, I ran out to help (in my pj's - haha). I called the dog over and he came right away. It was then that I could see that he was at least a mix of pit bull (& beagle?), but he was so sweet and little that I brought him into the house. He broke free and scared the heck outta Bella, but I managed to contain him in the cat room until Chris could come help.

He was so spazzy and playful, butI think even Chris enjoyed playing fetch with him (he's not really a dog person). We looked up the owner's information online, called (no answer), and loaded puppy in the car to see if they were home. Then we drove to the local Humane Society, who directed us to the local Dog Shelter. We got there and we did NOT feel comfortable leaving him there. It was not open (had drop-off cages), was pretty cold outside, and he was so scared. So we drove back to the "owners" house. Someone was there that time and denied ownership (though the phone # was right for the address). We considered taking him home (despite having no where to put him, 2 freaked out cats, and Chris's allergies), but since we knew we were out of leads on finding the owners anyway, we decided to go back to the Shelter.

We were both really upset to leave him there in the cage, but then the dog warden drove up. He told us he'd take him inside and make sure he was nice and settled, which completely eased our minds. He'll be there for 3 days while they try to find the owner, and then be taken to the Humane Society to be adopted. The whole time we were driving around, he was whining and jumping around. He had to have someone sitting and cuddling with him, and even still was very freaked out. Chris and I were so rattled and exhausted after a full hour in the car with him! I think this just added a few years to the amount of time it will take me to convince Chris to get a dog!

We both miss our little friend, though he'd be WAY too much for us to handle right now. If I get a moment this afternoon, I thought I'd go visit him and take him the toy that he seemed to like so much.

Some new pictures

33 week belly shot - Easter Sunday

Michelle dancing with the baby at her wedding this past weekend.

Week 34

Week 34! Busy times in our house! Bambino is still playing around in there, cooking to her absolute perfect state. Chris is busily scurrying between teaching classes at the usual university and another (long story...). Today, I am recovering from a busy weekend of wedding stuff (Bambino enjoyed the wedding of her "aunt" Michelle) and working way too hard. I'm trying to tie up loose ends at work, so I'll be prepared to drop everything at a moment's notice. I'm hoping that I'll feel ready for that possibility about 3 weeks from now.

We have some household projects to work on in the next few weeks. We have a friend coming by to help Chris secure our house a bit more. I have some more decor ideas for the nursery, but I'll probably wait a couple more weeks to work on that.

Then, I guess, we're ready when bambino's ready! Well, maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself.... we have a childbirth class this Saturday night and then a baby care class in a couple of weeks. We should wait for those to happen before we really say that we're ready. :)

We're also planning a day trip to Cincinnati next Sunday. We decided a few weeks ago that we needed one last day of leisure together before the baby comes. We'll see the sites (possibly getting my company's seats to the Red's game), check out the new IKEA, visit our favorite mega grocery store (Jungle Jim's), have lunch or dinner at Rafferty's, and (if we can fit it in) go to the outlets on the way down or back. I'll be worn out when the day is over, but we desperately need a day where we both set aside our laptops and just spend time together.

Week 33

Month 8! This month (weeks 33-36), baby is a honeydew! During this month, our little girl could range from 17.2 to 18.7 inches long, and from 4.2 pounds to 5.8 pounds.

That's a pretty dull picture. I think I prefer the image below of the "baby" put out this past week by my favorite musician. You have to appreciate the coincidence of this.

Bambino and I are doing well. I'm officially "nesting", trying to get everything together.

Baby update

I realized the other day that I've not really posted that much about my love for my moving belly. This kid is entertaining! She is very active in there at different times in the day, and there's 3 different scenes:

1) I like to call the first phenomenon "baby earthquake". My whole belly shakes and shudders, as she gets comfy in there. I have no clue what she's doing, but it's very funny. I like to pull my shirt tight and stare at it.

2) Kicks. I think we have a soccer player in there. I'll see small bumps, caused by a fast-moving appendage. I poke back, and usually get rewarded with another.

3) Finally we have the bump caused by an errant head or bottom. It sticks out in a large section, and sometimes travels.

Also, as the day goes on, my belly gets tighter and my belly button slowly moves its way into an outie. There, I've admitted it.

Almost week 33 - month 8 -- as a teaser I will say that the fruit that Bambino is this month just happens to exactly coincide with the name of my current favorite CD, which came out just last week. Eerie, huh?

Shower pictures

March 15th baby shower pictures

Cake! :)

Chris's favorite gift - Tiger's onesie

Shower dress belly shot!

My mom and I
Quite a haul! Amelia is very spoiled!

Week 32

Week 32 - Still a squash, but we'll have a new veggie next week - don't you fear! :)

I had my Dayton-area baby shower yesterday. My mom and sister-in-law threw a lovely shower for a small group of ladies -- a couple of high school friends, several family friends that I've known for a long time, and a couple of newer friends. I will post some pictures tomorrow, but I got a lot of great things for Amelia.

Poor Grandma Cathy. All she wanted was to feel the baby kick, and Amelia was in full hibernation mode yesterday. I had a busy day, and she tends to do that on busy days. She started kicking a few minutes after we left. (sigh)

She was a bit more active all day today. We went to a Blue Jackets (hockey) game, and I don't think she liked the cannon that went off every time they scored (4 times). She's also had the hiccups twice today, which is a funny feeling.

Birthday Fun!

Chris's birthday was yesterday. We went to our OB appointment (now every 2 weeks) , ran a couple of errands, and had lunch at Whole Foods. Bambino is still doing well, with a strong heartbeat.

Week 32 belly shot

Later, we had dinner with some friends at Buca Di Beppo. Despite being seated right in the middle of a large, loud party, we had a good time. Our friends even picked up a big box of Chris's favorite vegan (non-dairy) cupcakes for him to celebrate with!

Week 31

Sorry, week 31 is almost over.....

It's been an eventful week. The great blizzard of 2008 came and went, leaving much weeping and gnashing of teeth in its wake. Actually, it just resulted in the postponement of my first baby shower, and it really wasn't THAT bad. Chris got me a tiny cake to cheer me up, I had all sorts of presents to open (thanks to my mother-in-law being in town), and Chris fed me well all weekend.

The snow was crazy! Our very inclined backyard looks almost level here. I think we got like 18-20 inches?

Our pile of baby gifts from my mother-in-law Dona, her mother, and several of Dona's friends and co-workers. Lots of great stuff, including a Graco Sweetpeace hiding underneath. Google "Graco Sweetpeace" - that thing's the cadillac of swinging/vibrating/musical baby goodness.

Nursery Update!

A happy post to take my mind off of the fact that this major snow storm will likely result in the cancellation of my baby shower......

Some pictures of Bambino's nursery, with the new furniture that just came in! All we're missing now is a little bit of decorating, the bottom drawer of the dresser/changing table, and the rocker that my dad is staining to match!

Week 30

No big updates today. Everything is still going well. My belly is still expanding at an appropriate rate. :)

I have my first baby shower on Saturday and I'm very excited! I'll update next week with some pictures.

Details about Texas

So I mentioned that Chris, Bambino and I went to Texas a week ago for my brother's wedding. Here's some pictures and details on our trip!

Stop #1 was to see Chris's Aunt PJ and Uncle Delmas in Dallas. We stayed with them for one night in their beautiful home. And then we headed over to see his cousin Cass at her extended care facility. She is quite the popular resident there! :)

PJ and Delmas

Me, Cass and Chris

Then, it was off to Austin to see my family. We were staying at the reception facility, so Thursday and Friday/Saturday evenings were family time, but Friday/Saturday mornings were both largely spent getting the place ready for the reception. We enjoyed helping, and spending time as a family.

The wedding was beautiful. I was so proud of my brother, seeing him watch his bride walk down the aisle. Luckily Chris finished his duties soon after and helped me compose myself before performing the reading. I love my new sister-in-law, Meredith, and new nephew, Ethan. It feels like the Roberts family is finally whole, with the anticipation of future kids to come.

Non-professional picture of part of the wedding party. Brent and Meredith in the middle (of course) and Ethan is the ringbearer in front; Jeff (other brother) is the one partly blocked by the pole and his daughter, Monica, is the adorable flower girl.

Formalwear belly shot! :) I was 29 weeks here.

Chris looking very Italian

The beautiful, happy couple at the end of the night.

Practice time!

A boring afternoon caused us to decide it was time to practice putting on baby clothing. Bella was asking for it, all cute and pestering us for attention. She was actually calmer than I thought she'd be, and she didn't have to wear it long :)