Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Renee and my mother-in-law Nancy. As highlighted in my past post, they never cease to amaze us with the depth of their love and support for all we do. Thanks, Moms!
We also have to wish a happy Mother's Day to our Grandmothers who always welcome us with warmth, love, generosity, and home cooked delights.
In about 9 days I'm going to be a mother myself! I can't believe it. I am excited, and just a little nervous. One thing that makes the whole process much eaier is knowing that our parents will be around to support and help us. We can always count on them and that means more than anything else. We are so fortunate for that - many people go through life without that kind of support, and we are very thankful that we have it.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Baby Shower and Easter 2015
Right after our fun overnighter in Baltimore we were off to Canfield to celebrate Easter with my family and to attend a beautiful shower for us hosted my our moms. We got in on Friday night and headed out to Caffe Capri around noon. The room for the shower was perfectly decorated with potted daffodils (my favorite spring flower) centerpieces, bowls of wrapped chocolate, favors of sugar cookies with cute birds on them, and a tower of delicious cupcakes for dessert.
There was a really great turnout and its always nice to see relatives and friends who I don't get to see as often as I'd like. Baba even had her friend bring her video camera and record the shower.
While waiting for lunch to be served we played a couple games. Everyone guessed how many candies were in a giant baby bottle, and everyone cut a piece of yarn that they thought would fit around my belly (some of them were waaay to long!). I walked around with the truly sized yarn and each table had a winner. Throughout the shower names were drawn for several prizes that Ryan's mom brought beautifully wrapped.
The food was delicious and everyone said so. Chicken francaise, pasta, wedding soup, bread, green beans - all terrific. As soon as we were done eating I stared on the massive pile of gifts. I was overwhelmed by how generous and thoughtful everyone was. We got so many nice things for the baby. A new diaper bag, a bouncy seat, tons of adorable outfits, a gaggle of cute books, and lots more. This is on top of the stroller and crib our families had already gifted to us!
It was a really fun afternoon and we can't thank our moms enough for putting together such a perfect shower!
After all the fun on Saturday we had even more planned for Sunday. The whole family (except Billy - missed you!) met at Mr. Anthony's for an Easter Buffet. They had a great salad bar this year and lots of dinner options. 3 different "meat-under-the-light" choices and pasta, 2 kinds potatoes, chicken, rolls, and plenty of desserts. It was nice to sit and talk with everyone. They whole family together twice in one weekend! What is this, Christmas? Although technically it was just the girls plus Ryan on Saturday.
On Monday we had a leisurely morning and then went out to lunch with my mom after stopping at Burlington. We found a changing table there for a great price - something we'd yet to find. We went to Aladdin's for a fresh healthy lunch and then back to Burlington to pick up the table. It barely fit in my mom's car, so I ended up getting left behind while Ryan and my mom took the table back to my mom's house. They unloaded it, then Ryan cam back to get me while my mom started dinner. Before coming home Ryan and I took a side trip to Ghossain's Middle Eastern store and picked up some spinach pies and grape leaves to take back to PA. We also stopped at Handel's for the world's best ice cream and brought my mom home a pint.
We had a great dinner of stuffed cabbage when Greg got home from work. Our weekend had gone so fast! It was really fun and I'm glad that my mom got to feel the baby move a bunch of times. She's been pretty active every since (the baby I mean).
We headed back to Harrisburg on Tuesday morning. We stopped at Trader Joe's in State College and got a couple groceries for the week. It's never as exciting coming back home as it is going into a little vacation.
Although - we didn't have to wait long for more family time! Ryan's parents came out the following weekend to help with a few things around the house. Ryan and his Dad took down a big ugly tree in our front yard and painted our living and dining rooms. They look great! We had dinner at The Garlic Poet on Saturday night, a place Ryan and I like to go for burgers. Ryan's Dad is planning on coming back the first weekend in May to help with a couple more projects. We are so fortunate to have such supportive families behind us!
There was a really great turnout and its always nice to see relatives and friends who I don't get to see as often as I'd like. Baba even had her friend bring her video camera and record the shower.
While waiting for lunch to be served we played a couple games. Everyone guessed how many candies were in a giant baby bottle, and everyone cut a piece of yarn that they thought would fit around my belly (some of them were waaay to long!). I walked around with the truly sized yarn and each table had a winner. Throughout the shower names were drawn for several prizes that Ryan's mom brought beautifully wrapped.
The food was delicious and everyone said so. Chicken francaise, pasta, wedding soup, bread, green beans - all terrific. As soon as we were done eating I stared on the massive pile of gifts. I was overwhelmed by how generous and thoughtful everyone was. We got so many nice things for the baby. A new diaper bag, a bouncy seat, tons of adorable outfits, a gaggle of cute books, and lots more. This is on top of the stroller and crib our families had already gifted to us!
It was a really fun afternoon and we can't thank our moms enough for putting together such a perfect shower!
After all the fun on Saturday we had even more planned for Sunday. The whole family (except Billy - missed you!) met at Mr. Anthony's for an Easter Buffet. They had a great salad bar this year and lots of dinner options. 3 different "meat-under-the-light" choices and pasta, 2 kinds potatoes, chicken, rolls, and plenty of desserts. It was nice to sit and talk with everyone. They whole family together twice in one weekend! What is this, Christmas? Although technically it was just the girls plus Ryan on Saturday.
On Monday we had a leisurely morning and then went out to lunch with my mom after stopping at Burlington. We found a changing table there for a great price - something we'd yet to find. We went to Aladdin's for a fresh healthy lunch and then back to Burlington to pick up the table. It barely fit in my mom's car, so I ended up getting left behind while Ryan and my mom took the table back to my mom's house. They unloaded it, then Ryan cam back to get me while my mom started dinner. Before coming home Ryan and I took a side trip to Ghossain's Middle Eastern store and picked up some spinach pies and grape leaves to take back to PA. We also stopped at Handel's for the world's best ice cream and brought my mom home a pint.
We had a great dinner of stuffed cabbage when Greg got home from work. Our weekend had gone so fast! It was really fun and I'm glad that my mom got to feel the baby move a bunch of times. She's been pretty active every since (the baby I mean).
We headed back to Harrisburg on Tuesday morning. We stopped at Trader Joe's in State College and got a couple groceries for the week. It's never as exciting coming back home as it is going into a little vacation.
Although - we didn't have to wait long for more family time! Ryan's parents came out the following weekend to help with a few things around the house. Ryan and his Dad took down a big ugly tree in our front yard and painted our living and dining rooms. They look great! We had dinner at The Garlic Poet on Saturday night, a place Ryan and I like to go for burgers. Ryan's Dad is planning on coming back the first weekend in May to help with a couple more projects. We are so fortunate to have such supportive families behind us!
Friday, April 3, 2015
24 hours in Inner Harbor
I can't believe its April already! March went pretty fast. My mom brought my grandparents down to see our house for the first time. We enjoyed a great lunch at the Hershey Hotel and even took them to see Chocolate World.
Around that time I started experiencing a rapid heart rate off an on during the day. This went on for a few days and I told my OB about it. He ran some bloodworm which came back normal, and referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist gave me a 48 hour heart monitor to wear. The results ended up showing tachycardia (which just means fast heart rate) and a few irregular beats here and there, but nothing of any concern. He thinks its just pregnancy related, and since I've had some vasovagal syncope in the past, that its just getting a little kicked up (remember the fainting at the apple store in February?)
Ryan got a pair of tickets to a charity auction from an Orthodontist in the the area. It was at the Clarion Hotel in New Cumberland. I was able to squeeze myself into the dress I wore to his graduation in 2013. I've since entered the "beach ball" phase and I don't think I'd fit into it today. The auction was fun, we bid on a few items but didn't win. The food was ok. The main reason I say it was just ok is because at two am I decided to wake up and tell the toilet about the meal we had. No fun.
I felt (gastrically) better by about noon the next day, but a full loan cold had set it. I was super congested, and trying not to take any medication. I bought a humidifier, nose strips, vicks vaporub, puffs plus lotion tissues and cough drops. Nothing really helped. I finally broke down mid week and took some guiafenesin to help me sleep. A couple night later Ryan was finally able to come back to our room from the guest room, as my constant nose-blowing had subsided.
Ryan worked 5 days in a row that week instead of two and two, so this week he had an extra day off. My caseload has lessened lately so I was able to take Thursday off. We decided to priceline a hotel in Baltimore and go to the National Aquarium.
It was only about a 90 minute drive and we left right after my OB appointment. We got there around 2:30. We walked all around the harbor area, got some gelato and ate dinner at a mexican restaurant. It was a nice afternoon. We came back to our hotel and I showered and put my feet up. All that walking really tired me out, but of course sleeping wasn't really happening, as it doesn't seem to nowadays. Lots of tossing and turning - glad we got a king sized bed!
The next morning we went down to the hotel breakfast, and we were a little disappointed. We spotted a Corner Bakery on our way back the night before, so we walked there and had some Swiss Chilled Oatmeal. This always seems to happen to us - but they forgot about our order. After sitting for 20 minutes without our little number card sucking up off our table I went up and asked. The kid felt bad so he gave us 2 chocolate chip cookies with our oatmeal - all was right with the world!
We headed into the aquarium and were very impressed with the huge sharks, enormous rays and sea turtle, and lots of other interesting fish. It took us about 2 hours to get through, and we headed to lunch at a pizza place where both got chopped salads.
We checked out at 1:30 and we were pulling in to our driveway at about 3 - it was a really fun and quick little trip!
Around that time I started experiencing a rapid heart rate off an on during the day. This went on for a few days and I told my OB about it. He ran some bloodworm which came back normal, and referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist gave me a 48 hour heart monitor to wear. The results ended up showing tachycardia (which just means fast heart rate) and a few irregular beats here and there, but nothing of any concern. He thinks its just pregnancy related, and since I've had some vasovagal syncope in the past, that its just getting a little kicked up (remember the fainting at the apple store in February?)
Ryan got a pair of tickets to a charity auction from an Orthodontist in the the area. It was at the Clarion Hotel in New Cumberland. I was able to squeeze myself into the dress I wore to his graduation in 2013. I've since entered the "beach ball" phase and I don't think I'd fit into it today. The auction was fun, we bid on a few items but didn't win. The food was ok. The main reason I say it was just ok is because at two am I decided to wake up and tell the toilet about the meal we had. No fun.
I felt (gastrically) better by about noon the next day, but a full loan cold had set it. I was super congested, and trying not to take any medication. I bought a humidifier, nose strips, vicks vaporub, puffs plus lotion tissues and cough drops. Nothing really helped. I finally broke down mid week and took some guiafenesin to help me sleep. A couple night later Ryan was finally able to come back to our room from the guest room, as my constant nose-blowing had subsided.
Ryan worked 5 days in a row that week instead of two and two, so this week he had an extra day off. My caseload has lessened lately so I was able to take Thursday off. We decided to priceline a hotel in Baltimore and go to the National Aquarium.
It was only about a 90 minute drive and we left right after my OB appointment. We got there around 2:30. We walked all around the harbor area, got some gelato and ate dinner at a mexican restaurant. It was a nice afternoon. We came back to our hotel and I showered and put my feet up. All that walking really tired me out, but of course sleeping wasn't really happening, as it doesn't seem to nowadays. Lots of tossing and turning - glad we got a king sized bed!
The next morning we went down to the hotel breakfast, and we were a little disappointed. We spotted a Corner Bakery on our way back the night before, so we walked there and had some Swiss Chilled Oatmeal. This always seems to happen to us - but they forgot about our order. After sitting for 20 minutes without our little number card sucking up off our table I went up and asked. The kid felt bad so he gave us 2 chocolate chip cookies with our oatmeal - all was right with the world!
We headed into the aquarium and were very impressed with the huge sharks, enormous rays and sea turtle, and lots of other interesting fish. It took us about 2 hours to get through, and we headed to lunch at a pizza place where both got chopped salads.
We checked out at 1:30 and we were pulling in to our driveway at about 3 - it was a really fun and quick little trip!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Thawing out in Sarasota
Ryan and I had a great opportunity to head down to Sarasota, FL for 4 full days last week. His boss owns a home down there and offered it to us for a vacation. Ryan left work a touch early on Friday, we grabbed some (huge) burritos from Neat-o Burrito and headed to the Baltimore airport. We arrived in Florida around 10pm, and got to Sarasota around 11.
Dr. Friedman's home is beautiful. We went straight to bed and woke up to the sun shining. It was a little cooler of a day, so we put sweatshirts on and headed to Simon's Coffee House for breakfast. I'd read some good reviews on TripAdvisor, and they were right. Ryan really liked their strong coffee and his omelette, while I gulped down a big glass of Florida OJ and enjoyed a yogurt parfait.
Next we headed to Myakka State Park. We walked the nature trail, walked over a canopy bridge, and finally found ourselves by the airboat dock. Across the little bay we saw about 3 alligators laying in the sun! It was Ryan's first time seeing a gator in the wild, I was so glad that we saw them!
We we ready for lunch by the time we left the park. I searched on TA again and it brought is to a little grove shop that also served sandwiches. We didn't feel like eating there once we saw that it wasn't an actual restaurant, but we did buy 4 oranges and a grapefruit. The oranges were so good!
Getting increasingly hungry, we decided on Gecko's Grill (a sports bar). It was pretty crowded so we sat at the bar, and we weren't expecting much. However, we both enjoyed the fish tacos, and we were so full that we etched ended up getting a box. We stopped at Whole Foods and bought a plantain and some key lime pie. We had left overs for dinner with fried "patacones" and key lime pie for dessert.
The next morning we ate breakfast in. Dr. Friedman had been there at the house the week before and told us to finish the eggs that they left in the fridge. We made banana pancakes with the eggs and had the grapefruit from the grove shop.
We headed off to Bradenton to find the Surferbus - we had reserved a kayak to explore Robinson's Preserve. They guy handed us a map, two life jackets and shoved us off into our kayak. In a few minutes we were going right under the mangroves and seeing all kinds of herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans and osprey. It was a calm scenic paddle down to the end of the preserve where we hopped out an used the bathroom before coming back to the bus.
We had kayaked for a few hours and we were ready to eat. It was Sunday, and unfortunately, online, it said that "Jose's Real Cuban Food" was closed. We called anyway and found them open! We headed over and sat at the bar (again!) and each had a delicious "cubano," or Cuban Sandwich with black bean soup (Ryan) and garbanzo bean soup (me). We paired them with yuccas fritas and it was one of the best meals of our trip! The service was also really friendly.
We walked on Bradenton Beach for a while afterwards and drove through St. Armand's Circle on the way home. Ryan spotted a Ritz Carlton shuttle which reminded me that I needed, I mean, er, wanted, cookies from the Ritz. We followed the bus, grabbed our cookies from the over-the-top friendly staff and headed home to cook our fish (we also got some cod at Whole Foods.)
We cooked dinner and watched the Westminster Dog Show with key lime pie for dessert :)
Monday morning we ate breakfast in again before heading out to the Venice area. We stopped at the Venice Audubon building and borrowed some binoculars from a naturalist to look out at the rookery. There were a bunch of nesting egrets, herons, and anghinas. It was neat to see so many birds congregated in one area. Next we drove down toward Venice and stopped at Caspersen Beach. A bunch of people were using sifters big and small in search of shark teeth, which the beach is known for. Just buy spending some time and having Ryan scoop piles of shells onto some rocks we found 5 shark teeth! It was pretty fun.
We drove around a little and ended up back up near Sarasota and hung around there for a while. We drove down Long Boat Key and walked on Lido Beach for a bit. We swung by St. Armand's Circle again to pick up some paella to take home. We also picked up another little key lime pie from Whole Foods. Hey - we're on vacation!
Tuesday morning we took a walk around Celery Fields, a little wetland area and bird watching spot right near Dr. Friedman's house. There was naturalist at one of the look outs telling folks about the birds. We went back to Simon's for breakfast. We had a blueberry scone which was delicious, and "porridge" which was pretty much oatmeal. We also got a huge peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for the road and I ate 75% of it. Ryan enjoyed his 25%. What can I say. I just can't be trusted with a cookie in my hands and he should know that by now. No regrets! Party on!
After breakfast we headed to Mixon Fruit Farm and unfortunately missed the tour by about 10 minutes. We wandered the gift shop a bit, got to see the industrial juicer juice 5 oranges a second, and bought a bag of temple oranges. These oranges were the sweetest, juiciest oranges we'd ever eaten - the best!! We hung around Bradenton a little more.
We decided we loved Jose's Real Cuban Food so much that we went back again for lunch. Ryan tried the "lechon asado" and really liked it, and I got another cuban sandwich, it was so good! The staff remembered us and we sat at the bar again. We left fat and happy, patting ourselves on the back for taking a walk that morning.
We headed next to "Save our Seabirds," a sanctuary in Bradenton. We saw injured birds of all kinds, some being rehabilitated for future release and others that will live there permanently. It was pretty neat to see all the birds. It started raining just as we were leaving and we headed back toward Sarasota. The way back once again took us though St. Armand's Circle, and this time we stopped to get a little souvenir. We bought a metal painted gecko to hang on our bathroom wall. We named him Gilbert - he's cute!
It ended up pretty rainy, and we went back to the house to pack up and hang out. We had left over paella for dinner with some salads, the rest of our pie, and tried to stay cozy while it stormed outside.
We drove back up to Tampa the next morning to catch our flight back to Baltimore. We dropped off our car, flew back, picked up our car from long term parking, and then got some lunch at a Greek restaurant in Baltimore. We also stopped at Ikea on the way home and got a small lamp and some baskets to put on the shelving in the baby's room.
We loved our Florida vacation and we can't wait to go back!
Dr. Friedman's home is beautiful. We went straight to bed and woke up to the sun shining. It was a little cooler of a day, so we put sweatshirts on and headed to Simon's Coffee House for breakfast. I'd read some good reviews on TripAdvisor, and they were right. Ryan really liked their strong coffee and his omelette, while I gulped down a big glass of Florida OJ and enjoyed a yogurt parfait.
Next we headed to Myakka State Park. We walked the nature trail, walked over a canopy bridge, and finally found ourselves by the airboat dock. Across the little bay we saw about 3 alligators laying in the sun! It was Ryan's first time seeing a gator in the wild, I was so glad that we saw them!
We we ready for lunch by the time we left the park. I searched on TA again and it brought is to a little grove shop that also served sandwiches. We didn't feel like eating there once we saw that it wasn't an actual restaurant, but we did buy 4 oranges and a grapefruit. The oranges were so good!
Getting increasingly hungry, we decided on Gecko's Grill (a sports bar). It was pretty crowded so we sat at the bar, and we weren't expecting much. However, we both enjoyed the fish tacos, and we were so full that we etched ended up getting a box. We stopped at Whole Foods and bought a plantain and some key lime pie. We had left overs for dinner with fried "patacones" and key lime pie for dessert.
The next morning we ate breakfast in. Dr. Friedman had been there at the house the week before and told us to finish the eggs that they left in the fridge. We made banana pancakes with the eggs and had the grapefruit from the grove shop.
We headed off to Bradenton to find the Surferbus - we had reserved a kayak to explore Robinson's Preserve. They guy handed us a map, two life jackets and shoved us off into our kayak. In a few minutes we were going right under the mangroves and seeing all kinds of herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans and osprey. It was a calm scenic paddle down to the end of the preserve where we hopped out an used the bathroom before coming back to the bus.
We had kayaked for a few hours and we were ready to eat. It was Sunday, and unfortunately, online, it said that "Jose's Real Cuban Food" was closed. We called anyway and found them open! We headed over and sat at the bar (again!) and each had a delicious "cubano," or Cuban Sandwich with black bean soup (Ryan) and garbanzo bean soup (me). We paired them with yuccas fritas and it was one of the best meals of our trip! The service was also really friendly.
We walked on Bradenton Beach for a while afterwards and drove through St. Armand's Circle on the way home. Ryan spotted a Ritz Carlton shuttle which reminded me that I needed, I mean, er, wanted, cookies from the Ritz. We followed the bus, grabbed our cookies from the over-the-top friendly staff and headed home to cook our fish (we also got some cod at Whole Foods.)
We cooked dinner and watched the Westminster Dog Show with key lime pie for dessert :)
Monday morning we ate breakfast in again before heading out to the Venice area. We stopped at the Venice Audubon building and borrowed some binoculars from a naturalist to look out at the rookery. There were a bunch of nesting egrets, herons, and anghinas. It was neat to see so many birds congregated in one area. Next we drove down toward Venice and stopped at Caspersen Beach. A bunch of people were using sifters big and small in search of shark teeth, which the beach is known for. Just buy spending some time and having Ryan scoop piles of shells onto some rocks we found 5 shark teeth! It was pretty fun.
We drove around a little and ended up back up near Sarasota and hung around there for a while. We drove down Long Boat Key and walked on Lido Beach for a bit. We swung by St. Armand's Circle again to pick up some paella to take home. We also picked up another little key lime pie from Whole Foods. Hey - we're on vacation!
Tuesday morning we took a walk around Celery Fields, a little wetland area and bird watching spot right near Dr. Friedman's house. There was naturalist at one of the look outs telling folks about the birds. We went back to Simon's for breakfast. We had a blueberry scone which was delicious, and "porridge" which was pretty much oatmeal. We also got a huge peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for the road and I ate 75% of it. Ryan enjoyed his 25%. What can I say. I just can't be trusted with a cookie in my hands and he should know that by now. No regrets! Party on!
After breakfast we headed to Mixon Fruit Farm and unfortunately missed the tour by about 10 minutes. We wandered the gift shop a bit, got to see the industrial juicer juice 5 oranges a second, and bought a bag of temple oranges. These oranges were the sweetest, juiciest oranges we'd ever eaten - the best!! We hung around Bradenton a little more.
We decided we loved Jose's Real Cuban Food so much that we went back again for lunch. Ryan tried the "lechon asado" and really liked it, and I got another cuban sandwich, it was so good! The staff remembered us and we sat at the bar again. We left fat and happy, patting ourselves on the back for taking a walk that morning.
We headed next to "Save our Seabirds," a sanctuary in Bradenton. We saw injured birds of all kinds, some being rehabilitated for future release and others that will live there permanently. It was pretty neat to see all the birds. It started raining just as we were leaving and we headed back toward Sarasota. The way back once again took us though St. Armand's Circle, and this time we stopped to get a little souvenir. We bought a metal painted gecko to hang on our bathroom wall. We named him Gilbert - he's cute!
It ended up pretty rainy, and we went back to the house to pack up and hang out. We had left over paella for dinner with some salads, the rest of our pie, and tried to stay cozy while it stormed outside.
We drove back up to Tampa the next morning to catch our flight back to Baltimore. We dropped off our car, flew back, picked up our car from long term parking, and then got some lunch at a Greek restaurant in Baltimore. We also stopped at Ikea on the way home and got a small lamp and some baskets to put on the shelving in the baby's room.
We loved our Florida vacation and we can't wait to go back!
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Hello February!
It's Sunday and we are just finishing up cleaning the house a bit. Ryan finished sanding a wall in the front room so that he and his dad can paint later this month. The bird feeders are full, lunches are packed, and pretty soon we'll be getting our Super Bowl dinner together. We used to make loaded nachos ever year, but this year we decided on chilaquiles - inspired by a dish we was on a Rick Bayless show. Should be tasty, and not too far off from our nacho tradition.
Yesterday we went to Lancaster to the central market. We got some breakfast sandwiches and greek cookies, found a table runner we liked, and made sure to pick up some treats (stroop waffles and scones) for home. Ryan enjoyed a cup of "Mean Cup" coffee and I got a tropical smoothie.
After the market we headed to the Park City (not the Utah Park City!) mall. Ryan had some issues with this phone, and this mall had the closest Apple Store. It was packed, and about 85 degrees in there. Ryan was discussing options for his phone with an employee, and I was playing with one of the iPhone 6's on the display. After a few minutes I got a familiar feeling of my head feeling funny and feeling weak. I knew I had to get out of there so I tapped Ryan on the shoulder and told him I was going to step out for a minute. He asked me if I was feeling ok, as I made a "so-so" motion with my hand I apparently began to fall. The next thing I know I'm waking up out of a funky dream and Ryan is looking down at me along with the Apple guy.
Fortunately Ryan was able to "catch me" and lower me to the ground, making sure I didn't hit my head (or belly). He said I was only out for a few seconds. The staff handled it well, brought me some water and a chair, and the day was pretty uneventful after that. I felt normal again after a couple minutes. I do have a bruise on my back when I kinda leaned/fell into the table, but I'm thankful that Ryan was there to protect my head and belly.
We had lunch at Zoup! and headed home. Ryan went for a run and when he got back we made some salmon burgers for lunch. They turned out really good, we will definitely be making them again.
This week is our last full week before our trip to Sarasota, FL. Can't wait to get down there!
Yesterday we went to Lancaster to the central market. We got some breakfast sandwiches and greek cookies, found a table runner we liked, and made sure to pick up some treats (stroop waffles and scones) for home. Ryan enjoyed a cup of "Mean Cup" coffee and I got a tropical smoothie.
After the market we headed to the Park City (not the Utah Park City!) mall. Ryan had some issues with this phone, and this mall had the closest Apple Store. It was packed, and about 85 degrees in there. Ryan was discussing options for his phone with an employee, and I was playing with one of the iPhone 6's on the display. After a few minutes I got a familiar feeling of my head feeling funny and feeling weak. I knew I had to get out of there so I tapped Ryan on the shoulder and told him I was going to step out for a minute. He asked me if I was feeling ok, as I made a "so-so" motion with my hand I apparently began to fall. The next thing I know I'm waking up out of a funky dream and Ryan is looking down at me along with the Apple guy.
Fortunately Ryan was able to "catch me" and lower me to the ground, making sure I didn't hit my head (or belly). He said I was only out for a few seconds. The staff handled it well, brought me some water and a chair, and the day was pretty uneventful after that. I felt normal again after a couple minutes. I do have a bruise on my back when I kinda leaned/fell into the table, but I'm thankful that Ryan was there to protect my head and belly.
We had lunch at Zoup! and headed home. Ryan went for a run and when he got back we made some salmon burgers for lunch. They turned out really good, we will definitely be making them again.
This week is our last full week before our trip to Sarasota, FL. Can't wait to get down there!
Sunday, January 25, 2015
January in Harrisburg
Hello again!
We've had a busy couple weeks around here. Ryan's parents visited and we were able to celebrate christmas with them, the Nanna's, and rya's aunt, uncle and cousins over at Nancy's cousin's house. It was a fun day with gifts exchanged, and a delicious dinner of roast beef in Beth's beautiful home.
Ryan's dad was kind enough to sand our walls in the front room while we were at work, getting ready for painting next month. It's going to look so much better in there. We enjoyed a dinner at the Mt. Hill Tavern with his parents, and got to see the original walls and flooring of the restaurant, built in the 1700's. I wore the maternity clothing that my mom gave me on Christmas - I've been wearing it a lot more often the past couple weeks!
We've been getting a few things ready for the baby. We moved a bookshelf to her (yes, her!) room after getting a love seat for the living room. We also moved the recliner up there. We got a car seat and stroller, a pack-n-play, and some other items as gifts. It's exciting to see the fun books and cute blankets and things that people have given us. Baba, too, has been enjoying shopping for the little one.
The sewing mating that Ryan's mom got for me is finally getting some use. I took a sewing lesson about 2 weeks ago and have made a bib, burp cloth, pillow, and two stuffed animals.
I've been feeling her move quite a bit which is a really cool feeling. Ryan even felt it once when I put his hand over the area. We had an ultrasound on Wednesday to check her progress because of this large uterine fibroid of mine. It was the first u/s Ryan was able to come to, as the others were short notice. It was fun to see her face on the 3D portion. Her measurements all look good and we go back in about 6 weeks.
We are also getting ready to go to Florida in few weeks. Ryan's boss has a house there and has offered it to us for a vacation. We will be in Sarasota for about 5 days, and I can't wait! I love Florida.
The house is still coming along. After getting the love seat for the living room, we got a new TV stand that Ryan is going to put together this weekend. It should look a little nice next to the fireplace.
This is my first weekend "on" at work. I'll be working one weekend a month now that I am off of orientation. I had to admissions yesterday and I have two more today, not too bad of a weekend schedule. We went out for Greek last night at our (so far) favorite restaurant "Hellenic Kouzina," and had salads. I had a gyro and Ryan has grilled chicken and rice. It was really good!
A few pics of the babes room so far:
We've had a busy couple weeks around here. Ryan's parents visited and we were able to celebrate christmas with them, the Nanna's, and rya's aunt, uncle and cousins over at Nancy's cousin's house. It was a fun day with gifts exchanged, and a delicious dinner of roast beef in Beth's beautiful home.
Ryan's dad was kind enough to sand our walls in the front room while we were at work, getting ready for painting next month. It's going to look so much better in there. We enjoyed a dinner at the Mt. Hill Tavern with his parents, and got to see the original walls and flooring of the restaurant, built in the 1700's. I wore the maternity clothing that my mom gave me on Christmas - I've been wearing it a lot more often the past couple weeks!
We've been getting a few things ready for the baby. We moved a bookshelf to her (yes, her!) room after getting a love seat for the living room. We also moved the recliner up there. We got a car seat and stroller, a pack-n-play, and some other items as gifts. It's exciting to see the fun books and cute blankets and things that people have given us. Baba, too, has been enjoying shopping for the little one.
The sewing mating that Ryan's mom got for me is finally getting some use. I took a sewing lesson about 2 weeks ago and have made a bib, burp cloth, pillow, and two stuffed animals.
I've been feeling her move quite a bit which is a really cool feeling. Ryan even felt it once when I put his hand over the area. We had an ultrasound on Wednesday to check her progress because of this large uterine fibroid of mine. It was the first u/s Ryan was able to come to, as the others were short notice. It was fun to see her face on the 3D portion. Her measurements all look good and we go back in about 6 weeks.
We are also getting ready to go to Florida in few weeks. Ryan's boss has a house there and has offered it to us for a vacation. We will be in Sarasota for about 5 days, and I can't wait! I love Florida.
The house is still coming along. After getting the love seat for the living room, we got a new TV stand that Ryan is going to put together this weekend. It should look a little nice next to the fireplace.
This is my first weekend "on" at work. I'll be working one weekend a month now that I am off of orientation. I had to admissions yesterday and I have two more today, not too bad of a weekend schedule. We went out for Greek last night at our (so far) favorite restaurant "Hellenic Kouzina," and had salads. I had a gyro and Ryan has grilled chicken and rice. It was really good!
A few pics of the babes room so far:
 |
| Stuffed animals and a pillow I sewed |
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| The books heft, never mind all the stuff on it |
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| These will hang above the crib |
Monday, January 5, 2015
Happy 2015!
We had a great holiday season with family. My mom hosted Christmas Eve, which is always a warm and cozy evening with family, Ryan's parents were able to celebrate with us again this year. We stayed until Sunday, enjoying a Christmas Day dinner with at my Aunt's house, and visiting a couple times with Baba and my grandparents.
We got some really nice gifts from my parents. My mom got me a pretty sterling silver necklace that symbolizes motherhood along with some maternity clothes I'll be needing very soon (I already wore the purple sweater twice!). Ryan was all stocked up with gift cards, some new shirts, and a Turtle Fur scarf that he'll use for hiking, biking and running. My parents also gave us a fireplace set with a poker, broom and pan for our fireplace. It looks nice by the fire, and we used it on New Years when we lit our first wood fire.
Ryan's parents are coming out to Harrisburg in a couple weeks to have a family Christmas with the grandparents, and Ryan's side of the family.
I had an amniocentesis done just before Christmas after a questionable round of blood work. I'm happy to report that the results have all been good news. We also found out that we are having a baby girl! Somehow finding out the sex of the baby has made the whole thing a little more "real." We've started a registry, started thinking about things we need, and mentally preparing for parenthood. Aside from some pain a few weeks ago from a benign uterine fibroid, the pregnancy has been pretty smooth sailing. Hoping the smooth sailing continues!
On New Years Eve we foolishly tried to eat at two restaurants without a reservation. The third place we tried was closed, but at our fourth pick we were the only ones there! We went to Pho Kim's and had a great Vietnamese dinner. We ordered two items that were new to us and really enjoyed them.
We are getting back into the swing of things with a regular work week this week, and the last of the holiday cookies eaten. This month we'll be working on getting LG to replace our squeaky dryer, I'll be working my first weekend at my job, we will have another ultrasound and ob appointment. Happy 2015 everyone!
We got some really nice gifts from my parents. My mom got me a pretty sterling silver necklace that symbolizes motherhood along with some maternity clothes I'll be needing very soon (I already wore the purple sweater twice!). Ryan was all stocked up with gift cards, some new shirts, and a Turtle Fur scarf that he'll use for hiking, biking and running. My parents also gave us a fireplace set with a poker, broom and pan for our fireplace. It looks nice by the fire, and we used it on New Years when we lit our first wood fire.
Ryan's parents are coming out to Harrisburg in a couple weeks to have a family Christmas with the grandparents, and Ryan's side of the family.
I had an amniocentesis done just before Christmas after a questionable round of blood work. I'm happy to report that the results have all been good news. We also found out that we are having a baby girl! Somehow finding out the sex of the baby has made the whole thing a little more "real." We've started a registry, started thinking about things we need, and mentally preparing for parenthood. Aside from some pain a few weeks ago from a benign uterine fibroid, the pregnancy has been pretty smooth sailing. Hoping the smooth sailing continues!
On New Years Eve we foolishly tried to eat at two restaurants without a reservation. The third place we tried was closed, but at our fourth pick we were the only ones there! We went to Pho Kim's and had a great Vietnamese dinner. We ordered two items that were new to us and really enjoyed them.
We are getting back into the swing of things with a regular work week this week, and the last of the holiday cookies eaten. This month we'll be working on getting LG to replace our squeaky dryer, I'll be working my first weekend at my job, we will have another ultrasound and ob appointment. Happy 2015 everyone!
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Happy Holidays!
Wow - a lot has been going on since my last post. Where do I begin?
I've been working quite a bit at my home health job and its been going pretty well. I have to say I miss driving around in Salt Lake - it was so scenic while I made my visits. Im getting used to this area as I keep driving around. I also discovered that I need new tires, and got a new set of those yesterday.
At the beginning of November we moved in to our house! We had a ton of help from our parents, I don't know how we would have moved in and gotten settled without them! We raked some leaves, filled the bird feeders, Ryan and his dad cleaned the gutters and fixed a leaky sink, my mom and Greg brought a U-Haul from Canfield with some extra furniture and some items from Baba. We've been slowing home-ing it up in here since. We went to Ikea in Baltimore and bought some rugs, some wall hangings, a mirror, and a bunch of other odds and ends. Today we finally found a much needed dining room table.
We've got our tree up (it's down one ornament after I tried to move the whole decorated tree to another room, and of course it was Ryan's favorite one). We've got a wreath from Ryan's mom on our door, stockings hung by the chimey with care, and we've been enjoying watching all the birds (and squirrels) fatten up for the winter at our feeders.
Speaking of fattening up, the other exciting news is that I'm pregnant! Ryan and I are expecting our first baby in May. We had fun telling our family and friends, and fortunately I've been feeling good the whole time. I've been a little more tired, and a few days I felt kind of blah, but I'm happy that I didn't have to deal with the dreaded morning sickness I've heard so much about.
We've bought a few items for the baby's room, and got our first baby gift from Ryan's sister over Thanksgiving, some bibs and a hooded towel - so cute!
Thanksgiving was warm and delicious at the Williams house in Gate's Mills. Ryan's dad made his famous steaks, and it was nice to see everybody.
We are looking forward to Ryan's office Christmas party this weekend and then Christmas in Canfield after that. We are also excited to find out the sex of the baby on New Years Eve!
I've been working quite a bit at my home health job and its been going pretty well. I have to say I miss driving around in Salt Lake - it was so scenic while I made my visits. Im getting used to this area as I keep driving around. I also discovered that I need new tires, and got a new set of those yesterday.
At the beginning of November we moved in to our house! We had a ton of help from our parents, I don't know how we would have moved in and gotten settled without them! We raked some leaves, filled the bird feeders, Ryan and his dad cleaned the gutters and fixed a leaky sink, my mom and Greg brought a U-Haul from Canfield with some extra furniture and some items from Baba. We've been slowing home-ing it up in here since. We went to Ikea in Baltimore and bought some rugs, some wall hangings, a mirror, and a bunch of other odds and ends. Today we finally found a much needed dining room table.
We've got our tree up (it's down one ornament after I tried to move the whole decorated tree to another room, and of course it was Ryan's favorite one). We've got a wreath from Ryan's mom on our door, stockings hung by the chimey with care, and we've been enjoying watching all the birds (and squirrels) fatten up for the winter at our feeders.
Speaking of fattening up, the other exciting news is that I'm pregnant! Ryan and I are expecting our first baby in May. We had fun telling our family and friends, and fortunately I've been feeling good the whole time. I've been a little more tired, and a few days I felt kind of blah, but I'm happy that I didn't have to deal with the dreaded morning sickness I've heard so much about.
We've bought a few items for the baby's room, and got our first baby gift from Ryan's sister over Thanksgiving, some bibs and a hooded towel - so cute!
Thanksgiving was warm and delicious at the Williams house in Gate's Mills. Ryan's dad made his famous steaks, and it was nice to see everybody.
We are looking forward to Ryan's office Christmas party this weekend and then Christmas in Canfield after that. We are also excited to find out the sex of the baby on New Years Eve!
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