The transition begins!

I woke up this morning a woman on a mission.

My target: to empty and remove one of the two bookcases in the guest room.

By 9:30 this morning I had posted almost 40 new books on Paperback Swap. I had a 2 foot stack of magazines to recycle. (I had to wait for the Irishman to carry them down the stairs though.) I also had researched the photo storage boxes I want to use to get rid of the shelf and a half of photo albums I own.

By 11:00, the Irishman had moved the now empty bookshelf downstairs. By noon (there was a soccer game on and he is possessive about his DVDs) the bookcase was loaded up with WAY too many DVDs the Irishman's DVD collection. (There is no chance of joining SwapaDVD, but I can wish!)

This small but important first step in the transition from guest room to nursery started today because we got our first batch of baby hand me downs. Our friends Lyndsay and Dave have twin boys who are about 13 months old. They were talking about getting rid of some baby stuff a couple of months ago. They were also two of the first people after our families that we told about the Shamrock.

Lyndsay has been mentioning all week that she was ready to had over some things. It took three trips to the car to load everything.

We have car seats, play mats, a swing, a chair, clothes, blankets, baby proofing supplies...and there is more on the way in a couple of months once the boys outgrow it. Of course with Lyndsay being Irish there are several nice Irish outfits in the bags as well. The Irishman is hoping for a little boy to wear the green athletic gear.

It more than fills the corner of the room where the bookshelf once lived. We are very grateful.

My charming husband was all ready to start on the closet tonight. He wanted to pull out a dresser and all the goodies and such and leave the baby stuff in the closet. I told him one big task a weekend was enough. (Can you tell he slept this morning while I emptied the book shelf?)

Guess what we are doing next weekend?

Tuesday Tidbits

A few random things for your Tuesday morning:

• The Irishman and I went with my Uncle Ken to visit Aunt Fran and Uncle Johnny. My Grandpa Bill was in town so we met him there as well. I hadn't seem my grandfather since my wedding so it was nice to catch up! Uncle Johnny is 94 and was in injured in WWII. It is always nice to catch up with them. Uncle Ken took some pictures...maybe he will share. (Hint, hint! I know you read my blog!)
• The Irishman was most impressed...Aunt Fran made him her homemade meatballs to take home. I wasn't sure he would share, but we had a lovely dinner last night!
• The Irishman's brother Michael and his his wife Evelyn had a baby girl last week. They will finalize the name this morning, but it looks like the cutie is going to be called Violet Kathleen. The pictures are adorable and we look forward to meeting her on our next trip to Ireland!
• I got a text message yesterday announcing that Leslie had her twins yesterday. I have not heard the names yet, but one was 4 pounds 2 ounces and the other was 4 pounds 10 ounces. Still sending prayers their way!
• It has rained everyday for the last week...and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. (Over 10 inches of rain this month. It hadn't rained for months before now!) It looks like the rainy season is here. Thankfully we are back to the "afternoon thunderstorms" and not the "all the time" showers.
• Our next ultrasound in June 12. We hope we will find out the gender of the baby on that date. I am posting a poll on my blog. Go ahead and vote on your gender prediction of our little Shamrock. (Background: There are 2 girls and 1 boy in my family. The Irishman's parents had three girls and then three boys. The three grandchildren on that side of the family are all girls.)
• There are NINE days of school left. The last few days of school are always the most painful! I think I can....I think I can...

St. Maarten Pictures

I finally got around to editing some of the almost 200 pictures we took on our cruise. Here is a collage of our best pictures from St. Maarten.



We did not do an organized excursion in St. Maarten. The ship docked on the Dutch side of the island. We took the water taxi into town and then rented $5 beach chairs. I forgot my book, so I kept the Irishman awake debating baby names. (By the way, the sand castle was already there. We are do not have that much patience!) After a while we took a stroll through the town and stopped in the Catholic Church to say a prayer.

It would have been neat to have visited the French side of the island as well, but we didn't get to that. (Although we heard about the clothing optional portion of the beach over there from other guests on the boat.) Besides the beaches, it is supposed to be quite different from the side of the island we were on. Maybe next time!

Prayers

I just read that my friend Leslie is on hospital bed rest. She is pregnant with twin girls and has gone into preterm labor. (You can read more here.)

Earlier this year my grandmother gave us a prayer card that had a prayer for those seeking to conceive a child. Thankfully after a couple of weeks we were able to switch to the prayer below it. I thought now would be a great time to share the prayer:

Prayer for The Health of An Expectant Mother and Her Unborn Child

Humble Mary of Nazareth, you were chosen by God to bear within you our world's greatest gift, the Savior of all humanity. I come to you now on behalf of (here mention name) who prays for the health and safety of the child that God has graced her to conceive.

Guard this life that God has created, and protect the mother God has chosen for this child. Let your gentle hands, like that of a skilled physician, assist in her delivery so that this baby will know good health and lasting happiness.

May her child be favored with the grace of Holy Baptism, and grow to love our Lord Jesus Christ above all else in this world. Amen.

"Meet the Newlyweds"

The Irishman and I were interviewed by Jenna at Newlyweds for her weekly feature "Meet the Newlyweds." Be sure to stop by her blog and check it out!

We really enjoyed filling out the questions together. (The Irishman: "You can't put that!" and then "Is that all you've learned about me?") Jenna wrote a lovely introduction. (The Great Pepper Incident is one of my favorites too!) The picture posted with the interview was taken by our good friend Denise Felice.

While you are visiting Jenna's, take the time to look around. I love reading her weekly garden updates. (And the twins are cuties!)

Picture Preview

So, I did NOT get to edit any of my pictures yesterday as planned. I also have a pile of papers I have yet to grade and a vocabulary list that needs to be created this morning by 7:55. It is going to be a LONG first day back!

I do though have a picture preview. This is my very favorite picture from the cruise...for now. We have it as the desktop background on the computer. It was taken in Labadee, Haiti.

I so wish I was there right now!

More to come...but Monday has to happen first! Have a great week!

And We're Back

We had a WONDERFUL time on our cruise. I have already downloaded most of the pictures and hope to edit and upload tomorrow.

Most importantly of all, the Irishman made it through immigration. We did everything they told us to before he left the country and had all our paperwork sorted, but it is still a bit nerve-wrecking. The one-year extension on his visa is all good.

The best part?

I was the one that almost got detained.

Yep. We had the one officer who seemed to be a bit of a germaphope was wearing gloves. As we walked up, I sneezed (or maybe it was a cough, I can't even remember!). It was a fluke thing, but he gave me the third degree.

Are you feeling okay?
Have you been sick for long?
Do you feel like you might have the flu?

Uh, oh.

I saw right away where he was going with this. My way out?

I answered with, "I'm pregnant. It makes you do all kinds of things."

He was a typical man - didn't push it any further. He did however go through all the Irishman's paperwork and then ask how far along I was. When I said I am about 4 months* he said, "Good, then I do not have to feel too bad about asking the two of you to wait over here."

Not what we wanted to hear!

Thankfully "over here" was a couple of nice chairs in a waiting area. The nice people with the immigration services had to review the Irishman's paperwork a little more carefully. We waited sat there sweating and fearing the worst for about 10 minutes before they returned his passport and sent us on our way.

After a train ride and a couple of taxis we were home and all this morning by 9:30. Not too shabby! We have started laundry and the grocery list. It is going to be rough getting back into the swing of things. It is a good thing we have the weekend to recover!

*Side note, the Irishman pointed out that I am about 15 weeks...but when the immigration officer asked, I said the first thing that came into my head! Stress will do that to you!

Hello from Puerto Rico

Well we are standing under an overhang in front of a department store in the pouring rain. It is actually the first rain we've seen all week. Thankfully our phones work here so we are using the rain delay to catch up with family and friends. (And email...and Liverpool news, lol)

We have had a great time so far...and tonight there is lobster on the menu so it only seems to get better!

Here are a few pictures we snapped before it started to rain. Cell pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea!

Crazy 8s

Connie tagged me for this, so here I go:


8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. My second trimester and the end of the nausea
2. Finding out if our little Shamrock is a He or a She
3. Meeting our little Shamrock
4. Summer Vacation
5. Buying/getting second hand baby items
6. Reading books during my vacation
7. SLEEP
8. Growing old together with the Irishman


8 things I did yesterday:
(I am writing this ahead of time and scheduling the post. Looking at our cruise itinerary I am going to HOPE that I will have done all these things...)

1. Slept in
2. Ate breakfast in bed
3. Visited St.Maarten
4. Sat on the beach reading while the Irishman slept
5. Sat in a deck chair reading while the Irishman slept
6. Enjoyed a very nice dinner
7. Laughed at the towel creature left for us in our room
8. Went to sleep happy


8 things I wish I could do or want to do:
1. Visit Rome
2. Visit Alaska
3. Be a stay-at-home mom
4. Live closer to both my family & my in-laws at the same time...impossible, but it is still a wish! If only there weren't large bodies of water and land in the way...
5. Catch up on my e-mails and Google Reader
6. See my far away friends more often
7. Eat lunch meat. I miss sandwiches for lunch.
8. Add storage room to our townhouse. An attic or a garage would suit our needs.


8 shows I watch:
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. Brother's and Sister's
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Lost
5. Prison Break
6. My Boys
7. Grey's Anatomy
8. Friends Reruns


8 people to tag
I had good intentions, but it is late and I have a lot of packing left to do. If you want to play along, please do! Leave me a comment and I'll come visit your Crazy 8s!

Mother's Day Wishes

I was a bit upset when I realized we would be on the cruise for Mother's Day. I have already gotten a couple of beautiful "Mother-to-Be Day" cards. How on earth could I get a message to my mom without paying an arm and a leg from the cruise ship?

I came up with several wild and crazy ideas as to how to tell my mom she means the world to me. The Irishman helped. We had to tone it down a bit.

The initial plan was to send an e-card, but I am not confident in the reliability of the e-card. I want something I know she will read.

She reads my blog.

(I know she reads it because I set it up so that she gets an automatic e-mail of each post. She doesn't always post a comment...I get private e-mails back.)

So, here goes:

Mom, you are my hero. I love you so very much and I love how excited you are about becoming a grandmother. (By the way, I peaked and this week your grandbaby is the size of a lemon. I figured I wouldn't get the e-mail until I get back so it was okay to look ahead!) You are always there for me and talking to you makes me smile. You send the best e-mails and text messages.

I bought a little something for you. I didn't want to mail it because you would get it early (or late...) so I arranged for it to be waiting for you. If you go into James Avery today and give them your name they will give you your gift. I hope you like it!

Happy Mother's Day!

So now I just have to hope that my plan works the way I want it to! We think we will have phone service at our stop on Wednesday. I'll try to check then!

So to my mom and all the moms out there...

Happy Mother's Day!

Bon Voyage

Accidental Babymoon

The Irishman and I leave tomorrow on our "accidental babymoon." It wasn't planned that way...but it isn't at all a bad thing!

A couple of months ago I was crying on the phone to my mom that I was pregnant, my husband was going to be deported, and I had a condition the doctor wouldn't let me google...

Thank GOD times have changed!

If you remember we were supposed to go one a cruise for spring break. It turns out that the Irishman would have been allowed to go, but we were not sure he would be allowed BACK in the country. It is not a risk we were willing to take. (Go figure!)

They let us reschedule, but you are not allowed to cruise after week 20-something (I can't remember now what it is) so the only week that we could both work out is next week. He has sorted out his "fairly serious paperwork issues" and we are on track to leave the country tomorrow.

It also means that I am taking all five personal days at once. (That means I have FIVE DAYS of sub plans to write. I think I will need a vacation if I make it through today! )

Seriously though, we are REALLY looking forward to a week to just relax. I have never just taken off a week in May...it is kind of nice! It also happens to fall at the beginning of my second trimester. It is our "unintentionally planned babymoon."

So, this time next week we should still be relaxing in the middle of the Caribbean. (And NO, our boat does not stop in Mexico. And YES we have lots of hand sanitizer!) I am hoping to post from my phone before we pull out of port and I have two auto posts planned.

Have a great week!

Yes, No, Okay...

Thank you for all the kind words!

I had planned on writing a longer post, but I'm not feeling so hot tonight. Here are the answers to the most asked questions (and the questions I know you were dying to ask...or not!):

• Yes! We are both thrilled! We had been praying for this to happen since we went to Australia in 2007 for a while now. It seemed like it had happened for everyone else but us, but we are so happy that our prayers have been answered!
• We really stink at secrets. It is a miracle that we made it this long without spilling the beans! We told our families right away.
• Yes! We want to find out the gender of the baby. We have an appointment June 12th and hopefully our little shamrock will cooperate. At my last ultrasound the doctor said I had the most uncooperative baby of the day. Hmmm...
• How am I feeling? I am still waiting for my stomach to settle down. (And please...stories of people who were sick the whole nine months do NOT need to be shared now. If you are one of those people please, please, please keep it to yourself. I need more of the "It will pass soon" and less of the "I was sick until week 20...25...40") Yesterday was a good day. Today was not.
• The Irishman has been a saint. He is cleaning up the dinner he cooked as we speak because being in the kitchen makes me gag. He has also picked up kitty litter duty and multiple other jobs I only sort of miss doing. He has also been good about my requests for sudden changes in the menu.
• I am due November 7th.
• No one asked, but I have been CRAVING Chick-Fil-A, Sonic, and GOOD Mexican Food. At least 2 out of three isn't bad!
• I've had one major freak out moment. I called my OBs office to ask about some back pain at 10 weeks. I was calm...until the nurse said, "How soon can you get here?" Yep...the waterworks started then. I announced to the teacher next door that I was expecting and left school suddenly at 10:30am on a Friday morning. The doctor was not concerned at all about it. I did however get an extra ultrasound and a little reassurance and Chick-Fil-A so lunch so it wasn't a complete loss.
• The condition I was told not to google? At my 7 week ultrasound they found a subchronic hemorrhage. I've seen two of the three doctors in the practice since the diagnosis and they are both confident that it is just fine and will work itself out. I've had a total of three ultrasounds and they are monitoring it. I did eventually cave and Google it, but only after reading in a few books and deciding I could be calm and handle it.
• I feel like I have a small bump, but only those looking for it can tell. None of my pants fit. My kids at school are all worried because I've left school "sick" a couple of times (once a migraine and the other my sudden 10:30 departure) and had a lot of doctors appointments. I got an e-mail from a parent yesterday though and one smart little girl in my class figured it out...and her mom put together a VERY carefully worded e-mail to inquire about my health.

That's about all for now...I'm going for a second attempt at dinner. I'll post later in the week about our upcoming trip. This time next week we'll be in the Caribbean!

Not Me Monday & THE Big News

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week.

So I have NOT spent all weekend trying to decide how to break the big news on my blog...not me!

The Irishman did NOT assist with some pretty goofy ideas of his own.

We did NOT talk about posting this picture that I have NOT kept hidden in a folder on the computer called "Top Secret":

(I did NOT rotate this picture three times this morning before giving up and deciding you can just turn your head to read it!)

We did NOT talk about using this picture that I sent to family and friends:

The Irishman did NOT come up with a million Liverpool references to announce our arrival. (There was NOT a "Baby Fernando is on the way" comment made a million times this weekend. Fernando is NOT the name of the Liverpool's legendary Spanish striker.)

This was NOT the topic of discussion Saturday night when we did NOT take our new car out for date night. (A date night on which we we did NOT get all dressed up and most certainly did NOT use a $5 restaurant coupon and free movie passes...we are NOT cheap like that!)

I am NOT behind in answering all the wonderful congratulations e-mails. I am NOT hoping that most people will read my blog instead and know that I appreciate their kind words. NOT ME!

So, here it is:
I AM 13 weeks pregnant with our first child.

(There...I did NOT finally say it!)