Friday

Today has been a busy day, and a hot one! Maddie and I woke up at the usual time and then went on a walk down by the Potomac river. It was a perfect morning in terms of weather and Maddie and I enjoyed ourselves. We stopped at the store for taco fixings for dinner and then came home to play. Yesterday we toured her preschool and it was AWESOME! I'm so glad she got in there and I can't wait for what she'll be able to learn both academically and socially. They have a really good teaching and learning philosophy and the women who work there seem great. So, Maddie will start after Labor Day (both the real Labor day and after my next labor day :)
We went to Open Gym this afternoon because it was 84 degrees outside!!! In April?!? Definitely my personal nightmare...and I'm only 5 months pregnant. Just picture late July...
Dog Show tomorrow and Sunday, but Maddie and I are going tomorrow. It's indoors and should be fun. Have a great weekend.

Long Day

Today is Wednesday and it always feels long. My morning starts early with a baby saying "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, etc" from her crib and it ends with me heading to class to renew my teaching license(only 2 classes left :) It's LONG! I'm pregnant and tired and now I'm ready to go up to my bed and read. I haven't been able to blog as much because every time I'm on the computer, Maddie asks "Up?" as in, "can I please sit in your lap and bang on the keyboard?" So, you can see, it's a time in her life where she doesn't let me get a lot done while she's awake. Then, once she's asleep, all I want to do is savor the peace and quiet and not do anything; including blog. Tomorrow her and I are touring the one preschool she got accepted into. If I like what I see, then I plan to hand them a check for her first months tuition. Just knowing that she has a place to go to escape the baby chaos that's inevitable, is a comforting feeling. Hopefully it's a good fit for us. I promise to at least blog tomorrow to say how it is. Other than that, same old, same old. The weather has been really nice this week and Maddie's been getting in lot's of out door time. After the tour of the preschool tomorrow morning, she'll nap and then we'll find something to do outside. Hope your week is going well. Oh, no finality on the name of the baby yet. Still working on it, but feels like we're getting closer. At least, I am.

Saturday

Today is a really nice day here; a bit warm already at 7:35am, but I'm so sick of the cold that I welcome the change. So, I've had a day or so to get used to the idea that I'll be a mom of 2 little girls and I have to say that I'm ecstatic. When I was really young, I always said I wanted to have 4 girls! Well, I really can't imagine 4 kids of any kind, so I'll be great with 2 girls. We are going to start working on names. We had a boy's name all set, but with girl's names it seems much harder. Probably because with Maddie, we just knew. One of us didn't have to convince the other, we agreed from the get go. So, I'm hoping that once we find the "right" name, it will feel the same. I'll keep you posted of what we decide; and once we do decide, we won't want any negative opinions!!! Everyone always knows a "Joan" they didn't like, etc. (no, Joan is NOT a name we're considering) Gabe is working today and Maddie and I are going to run a few errands, including finding her some summer pj's because her regular ones are too hot for this weather. I'll just be putting those in her closet for her little sister :) That's really fun to say! Gabe and I are going out to dinner tonight at a new restaurant in Old Town to celebrate our anniversary. It should be good food and let's face it, at this point in pregnancy, I'm thinking about food a lot :)

The Verdict is in...

The baby looks totally healthy and is small (just like Maddie was) so my due date has changed. My new due date is 9/9/08. We're really excited and just so happy to hear and see that healthy little girl kicking my insides :)

Care to make a guess?

19 and a half weeks pregnant

So, I'm really excited this morning because in 24 hours we will know what we're having; that's if the baby cooperates! I've added a poll to the left of this post, so please vote for what your intuition is telling you about this baby. I'll announce the good news tomorrow in the late afternoon when we get home. We're really set on a boys' name, but not so much on a girls', so it should be interesting if we find out that we're having a girl. We'll have some homework to do, but we also still have about 5 months to get that all figured out. I met up with Siobhan and Aibha yesterday and they found out that they're having a girl-Congratulations. Aibha gets a sister and Lord knows how much a sister can mean. I'll be really happy either way; with Maddie, I definitely wanted a girl, but this time around, I feel much more open to either sex. So, vote now and I'll let you know tomorrow :)

2nd Anniversary

Today is mine and Gabe's 2 year wedding anniversary. We don't have any grandiose plans, just some time together at home after Maddie's in bed. We will probably go out to dinner at some point this weekend and celebrate then. A lot has happened in the past 2 years and I would have to say that most all of it has been pretty wonderful; even the hard stuff. It's made us stronger. It's also fun to look at our family and see that it's growing (bigger by the day!) So, I congratulate us. Happy Anniversary to Gabe and I.

CA Pictures of Interest

I finally sat down and uploaded the pic's I've been promising! It's been a long week. So, for your viewing pleasure you can go to this link and see the web album I created with the pic's. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.mejias/CaliforniaTripMarch2008

Went to the Midwife today

I had my appointment with my midwife today and it went well; to be honest, it wasn't all that exciting. Got weighed (gained 2 pounds in the last 6 weeks), blood pressure is good, got measured and I'm measuring at 18 weeks (which is what I am) and heard that fast little heartbeat. Everything is totally normal and good. I talked with her about how I'm still SO sick all the time and a couple of other things which made her say "there's a good chance you're having a boy." Funny. I'm scheduled for that all telling ultrasound next Thursday the 10th. I cannot wait to find out what this baby is. I'm too impatient to wait for it to be born! So, that's the scoop around here. Pretty exciting. I'm working on the CA pictures and they should be up no later than tomorrow. Hope you're all having a great Tuesday and Happy April Fool's Day (nothing in this post is an April Fool's Joke)

I'm so tired!!!

Well, we made it. It's nice to be home and not living out of a suitcase, but I do already miss California. We had the best time. I really tried to enjoy the heck out of it because I knew I wouldn't be back for a while. Maddie just went down for a nap (she's only taking 1 nap these days) and I'm going to read and lay down too. Elisabeth left to head home this morning; we rolled out of bed at 6am and I drove her to Dulles. Her visit was short, but her help on the plane was/is so appreciated. We had fun yesterday shopping, eating lunch, getting pedicures and then going out to Thai food for dinner. We really packed a lot in considering we felt so tired (still do). It was great having her here though. I want to post one picture that was really important to me to have taken. When I was 6 months pregnant with Maddie, I went to the Golden Gate Bridge and my sister took a picture of me. When we were in the city on my birthday last week, I wanted to stop at the same spot and have my mom take a picture of me pregnant with this baby in one of my favorite places. The first picture is June 2006 and the second is March 2008. I go to the doctor this week and then will be able to schedule that ultrasound so we can stop calling the baby "it!" Enjoy the pictures below...

Headed home

It's an early blogging morning for me. Spent all of yesterday still battling this pregnancy nausea and hoping today will be better for our flight. We'll be on a plane in a few hours and in Dulles by about 8pm. Wish us luck and I'll post TONS of pic's when I'm rested and unpacked :)

Fun afternoon

This weekend was pretty full and fun. The photography exhibit we saw on Friday was awesome and well worth the drive into the city. Maddie was a bit less interested though and spent most of her time outside enjoying the sunshine with her Nonnie. Saturday morning we woke up and waited for Aunt Lizzy and Uncle Justin to come and visit. We hung out all day and then went out to a nice dinner in downtown. I was hoping for Halibut and that's what I got; don't you love when it works like that? The next day (yesterday) was Easter and we were in slow motion. We took our time waking up (partly because Maddie had a tough time sleeping the night before). We hunted the Easter eggs we dyed the day before and Maddie definitely got the hang of it. Lot's of cute pictures came from that. We ate an amazing brunch and then headed to my Dad's. We stopped by the big Nardi Easter Celebration at Uncle Dave's to say "hi" and let people see Maddie. Came home and crashed! Today, Maddie, her Grandma Claudia, her Aunt Gianna and I took her to Pixie Playland. It was a blast. It's a little amusement park for kids 5 and under, so it has little rides just for them. Maddie went on a train and she rode the cars once with me and two times with her Aunt Gianna. We visited the ducks and then headed home. Maddie fell asleep before we left the parking lot. It's was fun and made me wish we had something like that in VA. So, we're having a great time. Tomorrow we'll head to my mom's in San Jose to see my grandparents for lunch and then back here to Dad's until we leave Friday morning. Gabe is really missing us and we're missing him and our dogs.

Birthday

It's my 30th today and I've just woken up. Gabe called to wish me happy birthday and asked if I felt 30, and my response is "yes." We're off to San Francisco today to spend the day in my favorite city. I'll take lots of pictures :)
Here's to a new chapter of life and whatever that may bring. The first 30 were great, let's see what's next...

Having a blast!

I want to start by saying that there's nothing like being home. It's the place to be. No matter where you're from there's a familiarity in the sights, smells and people that you encounter. When you live where you're from, you tend not to see it for all that it is. But, when you come back from being away, it hits you...it's home. It's where you belong.
We've been busy since landing here on Thursday. Maddie and I have been with my mom for the past 5 days and it's been great. We've gone a walk, shopped, had a proper afternoon tea, played, read, eaten at my favorite places, lounged, chatted and watched some TV. One thing I've noticed is that the days fly by! When you're waiting to go on a trip, you're counting down the days and it takes forever, but when you're on a trip that you want to last, time flies by. Strange thing; time. I had lunch yesterday with my best friend from childhood and the best way to describe how it felt is comfortable. That's the best way to feel with people, like they fit you just right. That's how lunch was. No pretense, no expectations, just a time to reconnect and enjoy each other. That was the best. Maddie's been having a blast with her Nonnie. I don't know how she'll go back to regular life with just me around. As soon as I get her out of the crib in the morning, she goes running and saying "Nonnie, Nonnie?" Looking for her. All of these things put together reminds me why living 3000 miles away is so hard. I'm making sure to remind myself to really enjoy it though, because I won't be back for a while. I'm taking lot's of pictures (including Maddie's 1st ponytail :) Enjoy what's left of your Wednesday.

We made it!

Just a quick update to let you all know that we made it safe and sound. We're here, the weather is beautiful here in the north bay and we have a busy day of grocery shopping and feeding ducks! Gabe left on a plane this morning and Maddie and I were sad to see him go. We won't see him for almost 2 weeks and that's the longest we've ever been apart. But, we'll both be keeping busy and as time always does, it will fly. I already have many pic's to post, but I need to do some uploading first. Stay tuned...

California or Bust

Today's the day and we are ready. We've been packing, doing laundry, cleaning, setting up the house for our house/dog sitters, running errands, practicing the word "airplane," visiting doctors, and trying to get rest all at the same time. It's a whirlwind, but today we can take it easy until we leave around 4:30pm for the airport. We are flying for the first time on Virgin America and we're looking forward to an UNEVENTFUL flight. Wish us luck. Gabe and I keep talking about it and we just keep saying to each other that "there's no way it could be worse than last time!" So, hopefully that rings true. The plane takes off right at Maddie's bed time (7:30pm) so we're anticipating that she'll sleep. If she doesn't, we're armed with Elmo DVD's, snacks and books (these are a few of her favorite things :) So, we're off. Gone for 15 days. When Tucker climbed into bed with me this morning I told him I would miss him; he seemed to understand. He gets the hint when he sees all the suitcases; very wise Welsh. I'll be blogging and putting pictures up of our time at home so check back. I promise to post and just say if we got there and how it went. Have a great 2 weeks!

Long night, early morning :)

We got home at 11:45pm last night! Gabe's good friend got married in DC last night. It was a really interesting wedding; in a good way. They rented out an all organic (including the beers and the cokes) restaurant and had both the ceremony and reception there. It was a really cool setting and unlike most weddings we go to. We liked that it was something different, because, not to be rude, but we're sort of wedding-ed out. We've been to so many in the past year and we're ready for a break. I'm sure many of you have felt that way at times too. Anyway, the ceremony was short and they actually had a friend of theirs get ordained and perform it. He did a great job and he's a friend of Gabe's also. The food was amazing and it was served in courses that had space in between, so you as you can imagine, it took a while to eat. Gabe and I were ready to go at 10, but the cake hadn't been cut and we couldn't sneak out. The one thing this wedding didn't have was any dancing. The restaurant is pretty small and there was only room for the tables and chairs-so there wasn't any dancing. I have to say that dancing is my favorite memory of my wedding. Not only with Gabe, but with family and friends (James Taylor, anyone?) Those are memories that really stick out to me, but to each his own. As I tried to tell Gabe, if there was dancing, we could have left a bit earlier. It worked out though. I met some of Gabe's friends from college in Vermont last night and they are some really great people. I'm always amazed at how many people Gabe knows. We got back to Alexandria, picked up a sleeping Maddie and came home and both ate toast. Gabe at it to soak up alcohol and I ate it to stop the intense nausea that I apparently am still suffering from (isn't this supposed to be over weeks ago?). Slept well, but woke up at 7:30am (yeah, she slept in!!!) only to realize, clocks changed and it's 6:30am (oh, her normal time). I'm tired and obviously I didn't drink, but being out and about that late sort of makes me feel like I'm hungover. Gabe's good friend, Adam, is coming over today to visit and then Gabe will take him to the airport back to LA. I better nap before I have to socialize more :)

Busy, Rainy Day

Well, it's pouring rain here and has been since about 1pm yesterday. It hasn't let up and now that we're home, I'm able to enjoy it. It's when you're out and about doing things that you feel the rain is inconvenient. So, yesterday Maddie and I went to Gymboree to try out a different class than the one we normally go to. It was a music class and I think she liked it; that is, if liking it means spending 30 of the 45 minutes staring at herself in a mirror and then proceeding to lick her reflection. She's 17 months old, what more can I say? We will try it again when we get back from CA. Then, she and I met up with Aibha and Siobhan and went to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History to see the Butterfly Exhibit they have. It's in a greenhouse with lots of plants and flowers and lots of butterflies. Aibha liked it, but Maddie didn't really get it. It was fun though. We walked around the museum for a bit longer and then headed home. Maddie passed out in her car seat as soon as we started the drive-it had been a busy day for such a little girl. Today we are going to a wedding in DC later. One of Gabe's good friends from high school is getting married. Maddie's going over to Sandy and Carlos' to hang out until we're done. That's all for now.

Quick Update

Not only did I pass my midterm, but I got 100%; didn't miss any!!!! I was sort of shocked, but I studied extremely hard and now I can relax. I slept so well last night that I didn't even wake to use the bathroom like I normally do these days!!! I know, too much information, but you can handle it. Baby is always pushing on the bladder :) Have a good Thursday. Here's what our morning looks like. They seriously can't live without each other...

Midterms and Preschools

Today is a busy day in our home. First, Maddie had to wake from her nap early to make it to a scheduled tour of yet another preschool. I LOVED the school. It is seriously everything I want in a preschool; close to home, affordable, part time, Christian based, vibrant, etc. It was awesome. So, we're on the waiting list, but this waiting list sounds somewhat promising. There's a lot of months between now and September; so fingers crossed. Right now, Maddie and I are waiting for our cleaning lady to come. She's normally here by now, so I'm twirling my thumbs because I usually wait to put Maddie for her nap until after they've done her room, but she's getting cranky, so we may just have to skip her room today. In a few hours, I have to go take my midterm for my teaching class! Nightmare. I do not remember how to study like I used to when it was part of daily life. It's hard memorizing when you haven't done it in a while. Plus, for some reason, at this age, I want to do really well and I sort of challenge myself to get 100% on this test. It will seem like a greater accomplishment because I've studied in between constantly helping a 17 month old do whatever it is she's doing :) That's multitasking! So, wish me luck and I'll let you know how I do. We leave for CA a week from tomorrow and the planning and packing have begun. After class tonight, my good friend Sarah Hanley is coming to visit. We joked that she'll always be Sarah Hanley and I'll always be Sarah Nardi, even though we both have different last names now! Some things never change. Anyway, she has an early am flight out of Reagan so she's sleeping over. We haven't seen eachother in forever and it will be fun. So, a busy day indeed, but in a good way!

Of Horses and Parades...

We made it to the parade yesterday, but it was FREEZING and a little boring. There was a lot of lag time between each section and we headed out early. But, Maddie liked it and the highlight for her was the new Irish flag she got. In the picture above, you can see her with her hat on, hiding her face with her flag! She sure does love peek-a-boo. The other pic's are from when her Aunt Patrice and Grammy took her to visit their pony one day a few weeks ago. Maddie loved the horse and even pet it. She had a blast that day and I got to stay home and rest. Today we're hanging around, I'm going to church and then we're going shopping for some things we need. Later we'll be at Sandy and Carlos' for dinner because Gabe's sister Janie leaves to head back to Chicago tomorrow. Our week looks pretty quiet and we'll just be getting ready for the big trip. Sorry I don't have more interesting things to say...