Halfway There!

We have finally reached the halfway mark!  There is no better way to celebrate than feasting on a fantastic Thanksgiving Day meal prepared by my little bro, Kevin.  As we always do, we steered away from the turkey (but no prime rib roast this year), and Kev prepared filet, short ribs, carrots and beets while Albert and Dad took care of the starches (YAY!!!).  I'd have to say, Albert makes a fantastic mac & cheese.  Keeping my fingers crossed that Little Minn has those same cooking skills :)

That filling meal must have had Squirt dancing.  All of a sudden, there it was, the so-called "gas bubbles" feeling everyone has been telling me about.  FINALLY, I felt the little man move!  He's been dancing ever since...

Attempting to get a family picture

Wishing for a bite and realizing she's not getting one

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner... Pecan Pie :)

Taking a whiff of dad's vino 

Prosciutto, Tomato, Mozzarella... yum!

Kev's Butternut Squash soup

It's A Boy!!!

It's now time to add a little more testosterone to the family!   I don't say this very often, so we will officially put it in print.... Albert was right...  After checking out the Chinese lunar calendar and having a dream that Squirt would be a boy, Albert was already on the right track.  Me... not so much... my dream consisted of getting an envelope with a lab result stating, "It's a Girl!" Clearly, I was wrong.  I don't mind being wrong about this because we are THRILLED to be having a little Albert.  Bring on the blue (Carolina blue, of course)!

12, 13 Weeks... First Trimester Done!

From the size of a plum to a peach, Squirt is getting bigger by the day.  We are now ready to share our news with everyone!

The 1st trimester is over and I am now starting the beginning of that "magical" 2nd trimester.  Feeling energized, no nausea, no fatigue.... hmmm... not so much.   So, the nausea did get a little better.  I don't feel queasy ALL DAY like before, but dinner time is still a struggle.  Too bad dinner is my favorite meal of the day.  Once again, crackers, cheese, and ginger ale come to the rescue.
Aversions: grilled chicken, pork
Cravings: fruit, yogurt

2nd OB visit complete, and so far, Squirt is looking fantastic, legs and all.  Those legs were all over the ultrasound screen!  Maybe he/she will be tall like Albert?!   I'll keep my fingers crossed...  As we leave the office, we find out our next appointment will involve another ultrasound and the news we've been waiting for: Squirt's gender!  Hoping this month flies by!

Introducing Squirt

After our trip to Europe, we couldn't wait to get to the doctor's office.   Sure, a positive pregnancy test is pretty foolproof, but actually seeing the baby would be more of a reality check.  Reality is definitely what we got.  At 9 weeks, there's not much to see in terms of eyes, ears, nose, but wow, what an amazing experience it is to see your baby for the first time on ultrasound.  We listened to the baby's heartbeat, saw some twitching movements... INCREDIBLE!

Joanna and Yves' Wedding - Switzerland

Next stop: Switzerland

What a BEAUTIFUL country!   Rolling hills, The Alps, beautiful lake, and cheese galore... what a way to spend our last days in Europe.  The only thing Switzerland was missing was what I NEEDED the most... a nice, big bowl of Korean soup called "naengmyeon."  Now, the myth of craving vinegar type foods rang true for me... the soup is a cold vinegar beef broth with noodles, meat, pickled cucumbers, and pear... lots of yummy goodness.  The craving eventually passed, but  mental note:  not a great idea to travel to a foreign country with pregnancy cravings.  

So, the reason Switzerland was next on the list: Joanna and Yves' Wedding Weekend!!!  After 1 night in Geneva, we headed to Lausanne for the festivities.

1st night in Geneva.  Welcome to our...

... bathroom?

Lausanne

Pronounced "ooshay"...  Albert & Jamie = immature

Albert's Mom and aunts

Yves and Joanna

Mariachi band in Switzerland!  Fantastic!

The family in the town of Gruyere

Bonjour!

We're off to Europe!  First stop Paris...

With the nausea kicking into high gear, eating was a bit tough.  Bread, cheese, water with "gas" (aka: sparkling water)... that was the extent of my meals.  And of course, NO WINE!  Really?  Of all the places to go and not have a glass of wine.  Well, you can't go to Paris for the first time without visiting the tourist hot spots, so here they are:

The Louvre

and Mona Lisa

Notre Dame Cathedral

Arc de Triomphe

Versailles

Welcome to our home.... I wish!

Happy Anniversary... with a little twist...

So, it's the weekend of August 8, which means... Happy First Anniversary!!!  We sure are ready to head out to our favorite southern city, Charleston.  Before indulging in those fabulous pomegranate mojitos at Cypress, something tells me I need to check one more thing...

Sure enough, after turning on all the lights, putting on glasses, and confirming with the hubs, I see a shadow on the stick.... looks like a positive sign.  Could it be?  2 tests later, it is confirmed, we're having a BABY!!!!  

So, happy anniversary to us!  Charleston was amazing, though most of it was spent asking ourselves, "Is this for real?!"  And the journey begins...