Baby needs a new pair of shoes...and then some!

This past weekend was the whirlwind baby registry adventure...a rite of passage for new mommies-to-be.  I thought the wedding registry process was exhausting, but this was at a whole other level!  Thank goodness I had my dear girlfriends, Kyra and Kelly, with me.  They were lifesavers!  Anthony and I would have been COMPLETELY lost in there.  We hit up the good ol' B"R"U on Sunday morning as soon as it opened.  Miraculously we were in and out in about 2 hours, including the purchase of an upholstered glider and ottoman (thx Mom and Dad!) that we packed into Kyra's SUV.  Without Kyra and Kelly, I probably would have been there all-day, multiple times! 

Testing out the jogging stollers

Kelly and Kyra introducing me to the infamous double pump

the first of many, many encounters I'm sure!

Stroller shocks passed the test!

Kelly was keeping us on track!

Diapers, diapers, and more diapers!  Probably should have scanned that
whole wall from the amount of diapers I hear we will go through!

Kyra taking over the scanner!

 I couldn't believe all the stuff to consider!

check...check...and check!

Also, this past weekend, Anthony and I saw Kelly again and her hubby Jeff for the special celebration of their baby boy Jake's big 1st birthday!  Kels outdid herself again with the party preparations and the place was decked out in all things Mickey.  And I have witnessed many memorable icing-on-face moments with my nieces and nephews, but Jake's cake moment ranked right up there among the most memorable! 

The birthday boy!

not feeling Mickey at first...

Jake diving into his very own cake...love the chocolate goatee!



Profile shot @ 21 wks



I was at 22 weeks this past Saturday.  There is not much change between the 21- and 22-week profile shots, but our little baby boy is really getting feisty in there and has been moving around a lot more.  Last night, Anthony felt the baby's little kicks for the first time.  It was a special moment to see the look on Anthony's face the first time he felt them.  I think he simply just said "No Way!" in amazement.  Now I think he keeps wanting to touch my belly to see if he can feel more.  

Profile shot @ 22 wks

We had our 5-month check-up today and all is still well!  I'm happy to report that I'm still on track weight-wise and the baby's heartbeat was a healthy 152 beats per minute.  I explained my latest ailment to the Doctor.  I've been having major calf muscle spasms at night (i.e. Charlie horses).  At 4am this morning, one was so severe that I yelped in bed and startled Anthony.  My right calf never really recovered and I was in pain almost the whole day today.  The Doctor advised that I drink lots and lots of water before bed; multiple bathroom trips would obviously be the trade-off for hopefully no more scary, painful muscle spasms.  She also wrote the best "script" I've ever received.  Anthony was directed to give me calf massages every night before bed.  I just got my first dose of that tonight (he's the best!) and I hope it does the trick!

   

  

I'm getting bigger and bigger, but loving it (so far, at least) and feeling great.  I have to catch myself sometimes at work from wanting to rub my tummy, especially in meetings when I feel our little one moving around.  My boss, who has 4 kids of his own I might add, admitted that he gets freaked out by the tummy rubbing, which I find rather amusing.  I think I may have some fun with that!  Lol! 

It's just a matter of time until my belly button fully pops and pretty soon I won't be able to see my feet...

 

My viewpoint down...I can still (*barely*) see the tips of my toes!



Love,

Ulana & Anthony

Oh Boy...or Girl?

We've had a very eventful past couple of weeks, so we have to catch up a bit on all that's been going on.  Most notably, we learned on March 12th what the sex of our little munchkin is! 

Finding out the gender was the icing on the cake, or rather, the icing IN the cake!  March 12th also happened to be my birthday--what a wonderful gift to see Baby M via ultrasound again and find out if we were having a little bambino or bambina.  To avoid the somewhat impersonal experience of having the gender revealed to us in the hospital with a random technician and also to do something fun to tie to my bday, we decided to call upon a bakery to help us out with the reveal.  Anthony arranged for two cakes to be made by a local bakery.  Both cakes were to be identical on the outside, but have differentiating pink or blue icing inside.  The plan was to hand a concealed envelope provided by the hospital to the baker that would reveal the gender and in turn, the baker was then to hand us the right cake.  The bakery happily agreed to play along!  We just had to make sure that we didn't tear into the envelope before it made it to them!  Lol!

The plan went off without a hitch and it was so nice for Anthony and I to learn what we were having in the privacy and comfort of our home.

So are you dying for me to just tell you already?!  Alright, drumroll please...

Outside the hospital with two concealed envelopes in hand...one for the baker and one for us (just in case). 
The suspense was killing us!



Can't say I fully trusted the envelopes with uber anxious Anthony!



A seemlingly normal looking bday cake with a very special surprise inside!

Making a wish (or several in this case)!

Here we go!

I had a feeling that was the icing I would see!

Beaming, proud Papa-to-be getting a taste of the extra yummy cake!

IT'S A BOY!!!

We are so excited to continue bonding with our baby, and knowing now that we have a special little baby boy growing inside me makes that bonding experience all that more special.  It will be so nice to start referring to him by name, once we finally decide on what that name will be (assuming we don't end up changing it at first sight after delivery!).  We have some names in mind, but will be keeping that a secret until he arrives.  We have to keep you in suspense about something!  One thing we can tell you for sure about our future heartbreaker is...

After our special surprise, Anthony and I spent the afternoon in Manayunk, celebrating my bday and reveling in our new discovery.


Lunch at our 1st date spot...Derek's! 

 

And beautiful flowers from my sweetie...



 

That night, we had some friends over to celebrate our reveal with us.  Surprisingly, the guesses of the gender were pretty much 50:50 boy to girl! 

Meagan, Kelly (w/ Meagan's little Greyson), me and Flagg

I also had some fun with the reveal at work by bringing in gender-revealing cupcakes.  Not only was that my first attempt at making red velvet cupcakes, but it was my first time making cupcakes...period!  It's about time, right?!  I figured I have to start practicing now for many cupcake-making experiences in the future, I'm sure.

That prior weekend, we ventured home to Frackville to spend time with family.  Also, I admit, I'm never going to be too old for my Mom's special bday dinner and bday cake!

My amazing parents.  I hope I can be as good of a parent as they have been to me.

My wonderful Godparents,Tommy and Linda.

Anthony and his buddy, Adam.  Something good was on the tube apparently!

I am 21 weeks now as of this past Saturday, March 17th.  The baby weighs about a pound and is about the size of a cantaloupe (i.e. just shy of 10").  I have been loving the "fluttering" in my belly I've been feeling, mostly after dinner at nights when I'm relaxing on the couch or in bed.  I'm feeling them right now actually...what an awesome feeling!  I can't for sure pinpoint the very first time I felt them, because I couldn't be sure, but now there is no mistaking it!  I really "popped" at 20 weeks and now feel like a full-blown pregger.  Here is the profile shot as well as some of the ultrasound pics we got of our growing boy at 20 weeks.

Profile shot @ ~20 wks

hmmm, is that a Chabon or a Malizia nose in the making?

My Mom, my sisters, and I went to see Motherhood the Musical at the Society Hill Playhouse in Center City Philadelphia this past weekend.  What a fun show that depicted all the various phases of being a mother.  We laughed, we cried (ok some of us more profusely than others)! 

I was so lucky to share that experience with them and very blessed to have their love and support through this exciting and, admittedly, sometimes scary time!     

Love,

Ulana & Anthony

P.S. As predicted, the nursery bedding has been ordered and on its way!  Mama can't wait to start decorating!!

Halfway there! Let the "Nesting" begin, or rather, continue!

This past weekend we reached the midway point of the pregnancy, passing over the 19 wk hump on Saturday and now into the 20th week.  I can't believe how fast it is going!   Aside from the occasional muscle/ligament strain in my abdomen to compensate for my growing belly and the accompanying lower back pain, I've been feeling great!


Profile shot - @ ~19 wks

One of my latest dilemmas has been striking the balance between enjoying the R&R while we can (aka the "home-body syndrome") versus my desire to want to go out as much as we can while we are still a twosome.   I feel so torn at times, but maybe it's the cold weather, or that I'm getting bigger and can't drink, or simply that we just enjoy each other's company, but lately, we've been opting for quiet time at home together.  And what's the big deal if we tried to watch a movie on Friday night and both fell asleep at 9pm!  Also, I have no shame admitting that we (yes, I said "we") actually look forward to watching HGTV on Friday nights (and some Saturdays too)...House Hunters International is awesome!  By the way, among other reasons, could Anthony be any more perfect for me with the fact that he actually enjoys watching HGTV?!  I do compromise and watch the occasional ESPN and golf...*yawn*.  Lol! 

Speaking of HGTV and home stuff, they say you start "nesting" during pregnancy, but I feel like I've been doing that for years!  Perhaps it's just my slight obsession with interior/architectural design, but I can't wait to start what is sure to be my favorite decorating/design project yet...the Nursery!  I can pretty much guarantee you that when we find out the sex next Monday, by the end of that day, I'll have ordered all the nursery bedding (and some accessories) that I've had my eye on now for months! 

Our big accomplishment on the home front this past weekend was working on our guest room, trying to make it as cozy and inviting as possible for all of the guests we hope to have visit!  (Again, hint hint!)  We painted (non-toxic Aura paint from Benj Moore...LOVE!), bought some furniture, accessories, and bedding, and just have some finishing touches left.  We even got one of the paintings we purchased in Bali framed to display in this room.  We'll show some before and afters in an upcoming post.  It will be so nice to have this room completed so we can focus on the nursery!

   

  

I wonder why I kept seeing spots missed! Lol! 
Wish I could have had some brewskies too
during the process!

As I thought about all that's been keeping us busy lately, I thought it was noteworthy to point out that the past month has marked many "firsts" in my hubby's life, from his first trip to Europe to his first time playing at Augusta National.  By the way, here was the souvenir Anthony brought back for me from Augusta...

My new golf shirt from Augusta.  Hopefully someday I fit into it!  Haha!

This past weekend, Anthony racked up some other "firsts"...


1st time putting together IKEA furniture (he looks thrilled, right?!)



1st time holding a newborn (9 days old), a tiny one at that - welcome Greyson Joseph Le!



He's a natural and going to be a great Daddy!

We had such a great time yesterday visiting with Drew, Meagan, and big sister Siena and meeting the newest addition to their family, Greyson.  What a little peanut!  When they placed the baby in Anthony's arms, he just said "Who wouldn't want to be doing this?"  What a cutie...and so is Greyson.  Lol!  The Le's shared some great stories and advice--everything from labor and childcare to SUV models and features to consider for a growing family.  It was also nice witnessing some of the daily activities that come with tending to a newborn as well as a toddler in their case, but then again, I think the Le's make it look easy! 

By this time next week, we will be thinking in either pinks or blues.  While we honestly have no preference either way, we are so excited to find out and I get emotional just thinking about it.  (surprise, surprise!)  I can't say if I'm necessarily feeling either one or the other at this point. I had thought boy for a while, but now I'm not so sure.  We will know soon enough!  

Love,

Ulana & Anthony