Chowda and Pizza Pie...here we come!

Well, here I sit at 10:15pm and we haven't even started packing yet! Clothes are in the washer and dryer, ate a late dinner, we are sloooow! Oh well, we will be ready by the morning.

This is by far the most un-planned trip we have ever taken. We have no tours arranged, no play tickets bought, we are WINGING IT! But I think we will do just fine. I look forward to sleeping and just doing what we want! We may take the lap top with us so we can have computer access for researching things so Ill update pics if I can.

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend. I am looking forward to spending the week alone with my hubby!

Happy Labour Day Weekend!!

No More Wonder Years

Ok, so The Wonder Years has always been one of my all time favorites show but I think it may be in my household's best interest if I stay away for the next 5 hormonal months ;-) The title of tonight's episode was "Private Butthead", who would be crying at that? I am sitting here crying about Wayne failing his physical to go into Army while the great narrator voice of Kevin Arnold describes the bond between a father and a son. Wonder Years is great at verbalizing those poignant moments in life and watching this father and son moment just brought me to tears. I know they say how little boys love their mommies, (which is proven by retailers carrying all kinds of little boy clothes with "I Love Mommy" on them) but I am SO excited for Matt to have that father-son experience. He has a great relationship with his dad and I can't wait to watch that relationship grow between Matt and Zach....or Mark....or James. No matter what the name, I know he is going to make a great daddy! Although Matt may be a tad tardy at times and a bit obsessive-compulsive, he is a man of great strength, character, faithfulness and integrity and I know he will do his best to pass all of these things and more on to our children!! Oh yeah....and a love of sports too! ;-) I can't wait!!!

I think that about sums it up! If I didn't get a hold of you last night, I will try tomorrow! Everything looked great, measuring ahead (not surprised looking at mom and dad) and I have only gained 4lbs. That's not too bad, right? Mommy Daddy, Grandparents, Uncle Chris, etc are all excited and now we can start shopping!!

Now its time for names.........Zachary Matthew, James Matthew, Mark Matthew, David Matthew.........we can't decide! :-)

Tooooomorrow, Tomorrow...You're Only a Day Away!

I almost feel like a kid at Christmas...tomorrow is the big day, the big reveal, and baby may have a name! Or if nothing else, a new pronoun to be referred by! Some days I honestly can't believe it's real still. I think tomorrow knowing whether I am carrying a little boy or a little girl will definitely help it to sink in! So say a prayer tomorrow at 2pm that baby Wittliff shows us what we need to see and mommy doesn't have to go home unhappy!

Rain SUCKS!

All I can say is thank GOD I live close to work today! My friend Kerri and I decided to get out for lunch and got attacked by the flash flood that occurred around noon today. Rain was flying sideways about the size of ping pong balls yet we decided we could make it from the parking spot to the cover at the shopping center. Boy were we wrong! After getting out and starting to walk towards the restaurant, in less than 30 seconds, we were drenched. Not just wet, but DRENCHED like I got in the shower in my clothes! So, we ran back into the car to get out of the rain. Kerri lost her shoe along the way and had to get back out to go get it. HA HA! She looked like a raccoon with mascara running! So the only option was to head to my house and clean up cause i could NOT return to work this way. Luckily Kerri and I are good friends too so she didn't mind borrowing a t-shirt and shirt to wear while we threw our clothes in the dryer. I literally had to re-dry and straighten my hair. It was like I took a shower. But, in the 15 minutes or so of doing this, it has all completely stopped raining and not a cloud in the sky! Isn't that the way it always goes? ;-) So, we went to lunch anyway in our soggy shoes and damp pants after it was all said and done. It doesn't sound as funny in writing as it actually was but it has had me giggling all day!! Do I really want to move to the burbs after that? HA!

Is it Wednesday Yet?

I'm pooped from a long but good weekend! Happy 10th Anniversary to Chuck and Theresa!!

So the pregnancy brain already makes me somewhat scatterbrained and stupid...and now the anxiousness it going to add on top of it and make me lose total concentration until Wednesday is here! AH! My grand plan is going to be to bring a poster board to NYC announcing the big gender reveal but alas, I don't know if I will be able to wait that long! Although it would be super cool and I would love to make my national TV debut with Al Roker ;-)

The grand majority think it's a little boy Wittliff in the belly anyway so it probably wont be a huge surprise, but there is a 50/50 chance so it could go either way! If its a boy, I am prepared for complete sports and music overload for the next 18 years. Grandma Cindy will be elated to have her little Astros fan to brainwash from birth! :-) But, if little Hannah surprises us, we will be in baby doll and shopping heaven for the next 18 years! My luck she will be a tomboy but Matt reminds me that "tomboys are cool too". Ha ha!

So anyway...this is a big week for us. I am so excited to put a name with this baby and cannot WAIT to see our little peanut up close again! Praying that baby isn't being a stubborn Wittliff and will show us what we need to see! Ill keep you all posted!

Holy Gaucamole!

So I am 16 weeks today...officially in my 5th month (4months completed...just starting month 5, I find this confusing still). WOOHOO! My baby update today says LLBean is the size of an avocado now. For some reason that made me chuckle because just yesterday I was telling a co-worker how much I love avocados these days. Or at least yesterday....avocado was quite tasty on my sammich!

The baby bump is still small and unnoticeable to the untrained eye. I can definitely tell in jammies but regular clothes still fit just fine which I guess is good. We will see next week what the "official" weight gain is. I am definitely getting more and more anxious for next Wednesday. I am ready to see baby again and of course know what Baby Wittliff is! 5 days and counting!

Quiet Weekend, Missin my Friend

So this weekend Matt had a boys' day with his Fantasy Football League, The Pearl Drinkin Fools...which left me to my own devices. I didn't do a whole lot, which was nice! Cleaned and organized and took a nap Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening I ordered Pei Wei and watched "Because I Said So" with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore. It was a good chick flick. I teared up a few times which is probably only hormone related.

I had been chatting with Claud earlier in the evening. She and PS went to Galvestion to visit the Bishop's Palace where Rachel and Rodney were to be married. For many years, PS has collected Christopher Radko and other glass blown ornaments. His tree is always beautiful. In Rachel's honor, they asked if the Bishop's Palace would accept them as a donation for Christmas. The curator happily accepted and told the Smiths how the "Rachel Story" is well know and it would be their honor. So now at Christmas, there will be a Rachel Tree or something of that nature on display...I look forward to going to see it.

"I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh.But I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry."- Unknown

It had been since Rachel's birthday that I had last watched one of the videos (thank you again Roxanne, I will treasure that always). I think about Rach every day and talk with her, but it's a lot of emotions to watch the video. What I miss most is just calling and hearing her voice and laugh and catching up, or "passing out cards" as we called it. We would often play phone tag before we actually caught each other and had fun leaving silly messages. I just miss her. On the last conversation I had with Rach a week before she passed, along with talking about her upcoming nuptials and the girl's weekend we had planned, we discussed having babies. She talked about how maybe even on their honeymoon they would thorw caution to the wind and start trying as she thought it may take her awhile like it was for me. One of the pics in the montage is of Rachel holding Shawn, the first baby of our group. That just really got me...seeing Rach holding Shawn like we all have been pictured this last month holding Katie and J.P. , it brings a lump to my throat just writing that. I cried for Rachel not being there to hold my little one, for us not being able to call and chat about random pregnancy cravings and symptoms, for me not being able to hold her babies, for our kiddos to be romping together, and for PS and Claud, they miss Rachel so much. It is one of the things in this life I really will never understand and is at the top of my list to ask when it is time. There are so many blessings appearing these days...and I want her here to share in it!! But deep down I know that she is, and in my heart I know that she has a hand in these blessings too. I miss you Rach!

"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you canmeet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes,is certain for those who are friends."- Richard Bach

Ho Hum

Nothing new to report....this is a slow stage for sure....I am anxious for stuff to start happening!

• A BUMP! I can see it for sure, but since there was a belly there before, the untrained eye (AKA- anyone besides me and maybe Matt) probably wouldn't notice. But i definitely do! Maybe Ill take a pic. It sticks out in front differently now, not just wide across. Does that mean anything? All my clothes still fit too, a little differently perhaps but comfortable still.
• Feeling the baby! When does this start? Some people say as early as 14 weeks...but that it feels like gas so 1st mommies prob wouldn't know what it was. I want a good solid kick in the ribs little one! Bring it on!
• TO KNOW Well this one has a good end in sight. Less than 2 weeks till the next appointment! My co-worker who's wife is due a day later than me had a sonogram on Tuesday and found out its a boy! Soo...if she was only 14 weeks, than surely I could at LEAST tell if it's a boy at 17 weeks! And if we can't tell, its a girl I guess??? (Don't forget to make your guess! http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyWittliff)
• To buy stuff! I have some bedding kinda picked out, but I want to know for sure as all the stuff I like is pretty gender specific! Not sure how this whole "building a nursery" thing is going to work while trying to move....should be interesting.....

That's really about all going on Now. Matt just sent me a document called "Upcoming Schedule". We have 6-8 FREE weekends through the end of 2007, and many of those have asterisks next to them for possible things going on (baby shower, visit friends, mom & I's trip to F-berg) HOLY MOLY! That's not a lot of free time!

Anyway............hope all is well with you my friends! Lots and lots of exciting stuff going on out there (you all know who you are!!) and I am excited! Ready for only more good news to come!

Anniversary Cake Ice Cream...Two Thumbs Up!

It is DE-LISH! It's called Anniversary Cake Ice Cream by Blue Bell for their 100th anniversary and is to die for! Anniversary Cake combines flavorful almond ice cream with delicious white cake pieces and a swirl of rich amaretto cream cheese icing.

How can you resist that? If you like wedding cake, you will like this. It's not super sweet like some birthday cake ice creams....just super YUMMY!

Advice from the preggo...pick up a tub from your local grocer's freezer pronto! I plan on having some for dessert tonight!