Family of Two and a half

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Christmas and then some...

The holiday this year went very well...for the most part.

I started off by attending a Teddy Bear Tea Party at the Ritz with my mother-in-law, three sisters-in-law, niece Mara, and nephew Benjamin. It was beautifully decorated and the tea was delicious! Here are a few photos of the event.

The Christmas tree in the Ritz lobby.

Mara enjoying her fork.

The dessert plate we received at the tea party.Holding Benjamin...I need all the practice I can get!

Benjamin!

Afterwards, we headed back to my mother-in-laws home to make cookies.

Christmas Eve was spent with my in-laws. We went out to eat a wonderfully cute Mexican restaurant, El Encanto, in Carefree and then headed back to open a gift. We also read The Gift of the Magi, which is a tradition in Paul's family.

The Christmas tree at my mother-in-laws. (These gifts don't include the ones from our house or Meghan's.)

Christmas day, Paul and I went to visit my parents down in Maricopa. Emma and Jason (my sis and bro-in-law) were spending Christmas in Michigan this year, so we decided to hold off on having a real Christmas with them. Although since I have a hard time waiting for presents, we did open one present each on Christmas morning with my folks. My dad had just purchased a waffle maker and made us a delicious breakfast with it. For lunch, Mom made posole!! Yummy!

We took Layne for a ride in the car Christmas day too.

He really enjoys looking out the windshield when he can't stick his head out the window.

After visiting them, we left to go see Paul's family. Apparently, Marie (Paul's mom) had become violently ill that morning. (We suspect food poisoning.) Brighid and Molly ended up making most of Christmas dinner, and they did a fabulous job. We were able to open presents, eat great food, and play Apples to Apples and Taboo.

All in all...it's been a great holiday so far!

Week 16

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

Mmmm....I love avocados!!

Week 15

We had our 3rd doctors appointment last Thursday and although the baby is doing well (with a strong heartbeat of about 150 bmp), he thinks I'm gaining too much weight. My family and Paul tell me not to worry about it and I have to admit, I think some of the weight came from the tennis shoes and sweatshirt I was wearing that day.Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

It's belly picture time, it's belly picture time (sung to the It's Howdy Doody Time theme)

Here we go again! It's belly time! This is my 14 week picture. I think I'm going to have a huge baby or just a huge stomach. And this time I can't blame it on the burritos because we didn't have them for dinner.

Week 14

Week 10

Christmas time is here!

Paul and I have been extremely productive this weekend! Yesterday we purchased our tree, attended Benjamin's Bris Milah (sorry...no pictures of this one), and then went to three out of 5 Christmas/birthday parties to which we were invited.

Today we spent our morning decorating the tree and the house for Christmas, then headed off to visit Grandma Tomasik, continued by shopping, and then watching the Cardinals game at a friend's house.

Here are some photos of the decorating:

Paul putting the first ornament on the tree for the year!

Layne in front of the completed tree. This took a while to get him to do, but at least he isn't drinking the water out from under the tree.

Adjusting the angel on top.

Still trying to adjust the angel.

The grocery store nearby sells cinnamon scented pinecones and this is what I do with it.

Here's the mirror just the left of our entrance.

And a giant Layne attacking the Nativity scene!

Since many of us Phoenicians don't have fireplaces, we use our kitchen counter to hang our stockings and Christmas cards.

A general view from the living room.

Week 14

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

**Could be me, but don't you think a peach is larger than a lemon?**

I forgot....

I forgot to mention that my BFF Valerie gave us the first baby present. She bought us a nice neutral colored blanket the day we got a positive result from the doctor. THANKS VALERIE!!

And...

My sister, Emma, and brother-in-law, Jason, also gave us presents. Since Paul and I went to Sonoma for our anniversary and brought home tons of bottles of wine and champagne that I can't drink till June, Emma bought me the "Bubbly" shower gel from Philosophy. (It smells like champagne!) They also bought Paul the book My Boys Can Swim! THANKS EMMA AND JASON!!

And the presents begin!

Today I was off to winterguard rehearsal. While I was still in the car, I noticed my friend Liza* walking up with her hands full. I pulled up next to her and asked what she had. She handed me a basket with gifts inside that included a baby book, pacifier, photo frame, and a gift certificate. The gift certificate was for a 3-d ultrasound! She won them at a silent auction for me! I'm so excited about it since Paul and I discussed having one, but they are just so expensive. Now we get to after all!

Family Photos

Meghan and Josh sent out an email with some pictures of Benjamin. Here are a few that I'd like to share.

I absolutely love the fact that Mara is giggling in this one!

Week 13

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

He's here!!!

After giving his poor mother contractions all weekend and making his family anxious, baby Benjamin Patrick has finally arrived!! He was born Sunday, November 30 at 11:56 pm weighing 6 pounds and 2 ounces. Paul and I had a chance to visit Mommy and Benji today after work.

Paul was trying to adjust him during this picture.

Me and baby Benjamin

Absolutely handsome!

Mommy Meghan and Benjamin...she was checking her phone at this time.

Thanksgiving weekend

We started off our Thanksgiving weekend with dinner at my parents house. We were able to visit with my brother-in-law's mom and dad that were in town. The next morning, Paul and I headed back to Maricopa to have breakfast with my parents. We stopped at home quickly to let out Layne, then headed to my mother-in-law's home for Thanksgiving dinner. Even with an oven fire and the stuffing falling on the floor, we managed to have a good time. The family ended the night with a tradition of watching Scrooged. (I think I slept through most it though.)

Throughout the weekend, Meghan, my sister in law, was having contractions. Luckily, Benjamin decided to cook a little longer and stay in for the baby shower on Saturday.

Baby shower invite that I made for Meghan.

Aunt Molly

Mara and her Aunt Brighid
Uncle Paul won the "How Big is Meghan's Belly?" game.Yummy ice cream cake!

I love this picture of Meghan, she just looks so happy.

Poor Mara was so tired during the shower. I tried to take a good picture of her with her head on the table, but she kept moving around. Silly two year olds!