Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone! It feels weird to be celebrating in another country and also for the fact that the weather is so great here, yesterday I had flip flops on and a short sleeve shirt while driving with the windows down. Braydon has already gotten four presents and a stocking and still has a ton to open as well as another stocking. That little boy is so spoiled but we all just love to spoil him.

Today is Christmas Eve and we are just spending it at home the three of us. I'm baking cookies and making dinner. Tonight after Braydon goes to bed Santa will put more toys under the tree for him.

Tomorrow we will be spending Christmas Day with friends. That's after we let Braydon open all of his many gifts. This will be a good Christmas but next year hopefully we will be home spending Christmas with all of our family.

Updates

Braydon is just changing every day. He now has three teeth on top and two on the bottom. He is also scooting all over the place. I can't take my eyes off of him...one second he is in front of me and the next he is on the other side of the room. We had Chris's command children's party last week and Braydon got to meet Santa for the first time. I thought he would be afraid because I hated Santa for a long time, but not this little guy. I placed him on Santa's lap and he tried to eat his beard! That child will try to put anything in his mouth. We put our tree up after Thanksgiving and Braydon wasn't very interested in it, he does like the lights but doesn't try to grab the tree or anything (which is great). However, the other morning my little scooter kept pulling himself over to the gifts and trying to open them. Every time I picked him up and placed him on the other side of the room he would find his way back. He eventually managed to open one of the presents slightly and take another out of a gift bag, good thing they were for him and not Chris or I.

This past Thursday was the command party for adults. We left Braydon with a babysitter for only the second time in his life. I was nervous about it, but figured he would be alright. Well I was wrong. The babysitter came over at 5pm and we showed her around and Braydon was smiling at her. We left at 5:15pm and she was giving him a bottle. We told her he gets dinner at 6pm and then goes to sleep at 8pm so she didn't have very long to really keep him entertained. We got home at 12pm and asked her how everything went. Well apparently he cried for over an hour after we left and nothing she did calmed him down. She finally put him in his crib around 6pm and he went to sleep and slept all night. He did wake up after she left and we where home for a while. We changed him, gave him a bottle and he went right back to sleep. I guess my guy had a little bit of separation anxiety. We will have to get him used to Mom and Dad going out once in a while or else we will really have trouble on our hands when he gets older.

That's all to report now. Chris has his birthday next week and I finish my law class so I'll be able to update more often once that's over. Enjoy the photos!

Sleep Training

Well it's happened, Braydon is finally sleeping in his own crib. I know most of you who know me are probably saying "it's about time", but I wasn't ready until now. We ordered this book "Sleeping Through The Night" to help us with the transition. That book was awesome and very helpful. We decided to try the move over this long weekend because then we all could get extra sleep if needed. Here's how the plan worked:

1st night - fell asleep downstairs on the couch at 8pm; moved to crib at 10pm; cried for 10 mins and I went in and comforted him; another 10 mins later I went back in and comforted him; when I was getting ready to go back after another 10 mins he was asleep. He slept until 8am never even waking for a bottle.

2nd night - this was Thanksgiving and he fell asleep in the car on our way home. We moved him from the car to the crib at 10pm; he was awake but never cried just fell asleep and woke at 6am.

3rd night - we gave him his bottle downstairs and then took him up after he finished the bottle. It was 8:30pm and he cried for about 3 mins and then fell asleep until 5am. We gave him a bottle at 5am and he fell back to sleep in our bed.

It looks like the sleep training is working and he is sleeping a lot better (so are Mommy and Daddy). He still takes his naps downstairs with us because he likes taking several quick little naps and that's what the couch is for. Maybe as he gets older we will transition the naps to the crib, but for now we are happy with him sleeping at night in his crib.

This is what tired looks like

Braydon spends time with his Dad in the evenings while Chris plays guitar. Last night he was so sleepy he couldn't stay awake, even though the music was playing. Chris called me upstairs to catch this. He woke up briefly while I was taking pictures, but as you can see he went right back to sleep. Children can sleep in the most uncomfortable positions.

6 Month Dr. Visit

Last Friday Braydon had his 6 month Dr. visit. I know I'm a little late in posting it but this week's homework was a killer. 4 chapters in one week!

My little boy is 6 months old...can you believe it? He has changed so much since he was born. He now weighs 21.7 lbs. and is 27" tall. He is in the 90th precential for both his height and weight. This time he was a champ for his shots. It's so cute to watch him roll around on the floor and bounce in his jumperoo. He now gets three meals a day of solids and I swear he could eat my hand off. I can't seem to get the food into his mouth quick enough. He loves everything he eats his favorites are Pears, Sweet Potatoes, Peas and Carrots. The only thing he doesn't like is the oatmeal no matter how hard I try to get him to eat it he just won't. He got several shot's this time because he needed the flu shot. He goes back in two weeks to get his flu shot booster and then in another two weeks for the H1 N1 shot and after that another two weeks for the H1 N1 booster. Basically he has shots every two weeks for the rest of the year.

We are having Thanksgiving at a friends how next week so that will be nice. I'm really looking forward to the deep fried turkey we are having. Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for this year and couldn't imagine my life without Braydon or Chris.

Halloween

It was Braydon's first Halloween. We decided to dress up as a family of Superhero's. Dad went as Batman with Braydon as his sidekick Robin, and I went as Supergirl. On the Friday before Halloween Chris's command had a party for the kids. All the kids were dressed up and they had games and a parade for the kids.

On Halloween the kids went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and we sat outside and handed the candy out to the kids. Braydon was a huge hit and some kids were scared of Chris's Batman.

Next year Chris already has our costumes picked out. We decided that next year we will also take Braydon trick-or-treating since he will be 1 1/2 and able to actually enjoy it somewhat.

Back Home in Italy

After a long day of travel we arrived back to Italy last night. We tried to keep Braydon up as long as possible so his sleep didn't get too messed up. But have you ever tried to keep a 5 1/2 month old awake when he is sleepy? Let me tell you it is not easy and it can cause a headache. It didn't help that last night our time changed so we gained an hour. We gave him a bath which usually he likes but not last night. Finally we gave in and put him down at 8pm which was really 7pm. He didn't sleep really good last night but he did sleep. Chris and I tried to stay awake as long as possible too, but I just couldn't do it. I managed to stay awake for an hour after Braydon by unpacking the bags. We did all manage to sleep all night (with a few times for bottles in between). Today has been spent doing laundry and catching up on things after being gone so long.

The weather isn't too much better then it was back in Chicago. It is warmer but we are heading into our rainy season so it's not very pretty outside. We don't get snow though and it doesn't get too cold so that is something I'm looking forward to. Braydon will only get to experience the snow if we take him up to Mt. Etna or to Germany durning the winter.

We have a busy next few months with Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Plus I go back to school the week after next and Chris will be very busy with work. Hopefully the time goes by fast because I'm already missing everyone from home. We will be back for Braydon's first birthday and his christening.

I've uploaded all the pictures from our trip. Most seem to be of Braydon and of his cousin Hayden (it was her first birthday while we were home). Just click on the picture above and it will take you to all of them.

Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky Visit

I'm writing this while waiting on catching my flight back to Italy. It's raining and nasty in Chicago and sunny and in the 60's in Italy so that makes me want to get back faster, but I'll miss everyone here. We had a good trip home and visiting everyone. Braydon was a big hit and everyone loved him. It was nice to spend some alone time with the hubby, but I missed Braydon most of the time when we left him.

Dan and Kelly's wedding was beautiful and Kelly was a beautiful bride. I would kill to have her figure and been able to pull off her lace dress. Dan looked good too but Kelly looked better! Braydon was good during their wedding, but we left him with a sitter for the reception. It was the first time I've ever left him with someone other than a relative, I was a little scared but he was awesome. When we went to pick him up after the wedding reception they told me how good a baby he was.

Our flights went good for the most part. Braydon was WONDERFUL on the flights but we ended up having a 6 hour delay in Rome so Chris and I weren't too happy!!!! Braydon was a trooper and slept for some of the flight. When he was awake he just watched people and flirted with the woman flight attendents. I'm in trouble because he is such a little flirt I'll need to curb that later.

We had Braydon's 6 month pictures done while back in the states. We actually got them done at Walmart and they did a great job. We couldn't get in anywhere else to have his pictures taken because we waited too long. I'll remember to schedule his 1 year in advance. I've uploaded all the photos and if you click on the picture above you can see all of them.

Well that's all for now. We will keep waiting to see if we are actually flying out today because of the weather.

Two Bottom Teeth

I should have posted this last week but was busy finishing a school assignment. I know nothing comes before Braydon but sometimes things happen. Anyways, Braydon has his two bottom teeth. In a matter of three days he had teeth it was amazing. On Sunday he was eating one of his toys and I noticed some blood, I looked and everything looked alright so I ignored it. Then on Monday I noticed white spots on his gums, and on Tuesday he had two bottom teeth. All in all I can say that he did this teething thing without any major fussing. He had his moments though and mostly we knew he was teething because he was drooling like a faucet, it has since slowed down a bit, plus he was gnawing on anything he could get his hands on. I was worried that the teething process would be a horrible one, based on all the reading I've done and stories I've heard from friends. Maybe we are lucky because for the most part Braydon is a very calm boy, he is usually fussy at night but hey give him a break he is only 4 1/2 months old.

Other interesting news...He's trying to sit on his own and it is so cute. He gets frustrated trying to pull himself up when he is laying in his bobby. Braydon has outgrown all of his 3-6 month clothes. We had a lot of this size and luckily he wore almost every outfit. He doesn't have much 6-9 month clothes so I've got a lot of shopping I get to do :)

Next week Braydon has his first air plane ride. We fly back to the States for my brother Dan and Kelly's wedding. I'm a little nervous about flying with a baby and hope Braydon does good. Luckily we have only one connecting flight in Rome and then straight through to Chicago. We have a lot planned for the three weeks of vacation we are taking and I am hoping Braydon is a good boy. We will be visiting three different states and almost always on the go. I'm really looking forward to going home and everyone meeting Braydon. I'll post more when we return from our trip since I'm sure I'll have lot's to say.

4 Month Dr. Visit & Eating Solids

On last Tuesday Braydon had his 4 month Dr. visit. He got weighed, measured and some shots. Our little man isn't so little anymore. He weighs 17 lbs. 13 ounces and is 26.5 inches tall. He got another three shots and an oral. He did better with the shots this time, he had a little bit of a delayed reaction to the shots and only screamed for a little while. Next visit is at 6 months and he will be getting the flu shot then, he was too young for it this time. We talked about starting him on solids. So on Wednesday we picked up some oatmeal to try. That night we attempted to feed him the oatmeal and it was interesting to say the least.

We waited a few days and then tried the applesauce. This seemed to go better, but still got all over the place. We have been doing this every night and it seems to be getting a little better. We went and got a high chair for him and this helped a little because he couldn't get away :) I wonder how long it takes before kids understand that they should swallow the stuff on the spoon? Good thing we have tile floors!!!

Here are some new pics of the little guy. Just click on the picture and it will take you to a gallery of more. We are getting nervous about flying back to the states with a 4 month old (he will be 5 month's the day of the flight) but can't wait for everyone to see him.

Almost four months

So Braydon will be four months old tomorrow...wow the time sure does fly by. He loves to stand on my lap and on the floor (with us holding his arms). He also recently learned that he can sit on his own, even though we have to put him in the position. Braydon loves putting everything and anything in his mouth. He will take our fingers and put them in his mouth or even his own pajamas. We think he is teething because he is drooling like crazy and putting everything in his mouth. We have taken him out to friends house's more and he is a little shy at first but then hams it up. We finally got the pool we ordered for Braydon so maybe we will get to use it once before the end of the year. We are a little lucky because it does stay warmer here longer, but not much longer. Maybe tomorrow we will test it out. In a few more weeks we fly back to the states for Dan and Kelly's wedding. It will be the first time everyone gets to see Braydon and it should be lot's of fun. I'm a little nervous about flying with a baby, but everyone tells me he will do better then us. I know everyone is anxious to meet the little dude and we are anxious for it as well. Tuesday Braydon has his four month Dr. visit. He gets more shots and we may even start him on rice cereal after that. This may help with getting him to sleep longer at night. I really can't complain though he does pretty good and usually goes right back to sleep after he eats.

Much needed update

I know I've been really bad with updates this month. Things have been moving along here and the time is just flying by. Between school and Braydon my days are filled. I've also started working out to try and lose the baby weight (next time I'll try to not eat so much when I'm pregnant). I can't believe it's almost September and Braydon is 17 weeks old. He is such a little ham. Last weekend we went to some friends house and he was the talk of the night. He kept laughing and was being so good when everyone was holding him. I can't wait to take him home in October and see how he does. It looks like in a couple weeks we will be starting on food with Braydon (should be interesting). He just doesn't seem to get enough to eat with the formula. Plus he has been eyeing our food at dinner. Today he tried to drink my Diet Dr. Pepper, he put the can to his mouth and everything. He has such a little personality.

FINALLY

When we first put Braydon in his swing, he wanted nothing to do with it. So I figured I'd wait awhile until I tried again. Lately he has wanted to be held and rocked a lot and it's killing my back. So today on his 12 week b-day I decided to try my luck with the swing again. I put him in the swing and he didn't cry, so I stepped away and look what happened, he fell asleep. I'm so happy because now maybe this will save my back.

Pool Day

Today we decided to go to the pool, we wanted to go yesterday but it was 103 degrees and that's a little too hot to take Braydon out in. It was a little cooler today and the pool wasn't crowded at all. We thought this would be a good time to see if Braydon liked the pool or not. They have this little kid section which is in the shade and very shallow. Braydon only went in up to his waist because he wasn't really sure if he liked the pool or not. We will keep trying and I'm sure eventually he will like it, but he is only 11 weeks old so maybe when he's older.

Braydon the mini Spartan

Braydon's Nana was just here for a 10 day visit. It took him a little while to finally warm up to her, but once he did he was gone. We had a lot of fun going out to dinners and to the mall. We went to the castle in Motta and also to Taromina. When we went to Taromina when he was just a couple weeks old the altitude played havoc on him. We were very nervous this time, but he did awesome. The only time he cried was on the bus from the parking garage. We got dirty looks from these German's and i just wanted to get up and strangle them. Haven't they ever seen a child cry? I didn't get the chance though we got off the bus. I did swear at them in German though (thanks PA for my little bit of German).

We have lots of toys coming for Braydon in the next few weeks so there will be lot's of pictures. He is getting a swimming pool, activity center and books.

This picture is for Dan and Kelly. He loved this outfit, he was playing with it when I took it off him, must be the bright green color. Guess we have a mini Spartan on our hands!

2 Month Dr. Visit

Braydon had his 2 month Dr. visit today, I can't beleive it's been two months already. He weighs 14.6 lbs. and is 25 inches. He got three shots and one oral and did very good, well as good as to be expected. He did scream when he got them but calmed down quickly once we comforted him and gave him some Tylenol.

He is developing quite nicely, yesterday was his 2 month b-day and he amazed me by rolling over. We were doing our normal tummy time routine and every time I put him on his tummy he would roll over to his back.

He has settled into a routine for the most part. We wake up around 8 am and watch Sesame Street. I can't believe this show is still on, I used to watch it growing up. After that he takes a nap and then Daddy comes home for lunch. In the afternoon we do tummy time and some reading. He takes another nap and then Daddy is home. Some nights he gets a little antsy but for the most part he does good. Chris usually lets me go up to bed for a few hours before he and Braydon come up. Then Braydon gets up once in the middle of the night and eats and goes right back to bed. He is such a good little boy and he is changing every day.

House At Pooh Corner

Braydon was having his afternoon fussy time. I was trying to settle him down but nothing seemed to be working. My laptop was on and I decided to play some music for him, I'd already tried everything else. To my surprise it actually worked. He was enjoying me singing "House at Pooh Corner" to him. Whenever I stopped he would get fussy again. Guess we have a Kenny Loggins fan on our hands. Dottie will love that!

Sleepy Braydon!

Braydon woke up this morning at 9 am and pretty much stayed up all morning. We went to the store and he usually falls asleep in his car seat but not today. On the way home he started crying and it was his sleepy cry. We got home and he didn't want to nap. But after being home for half an hour and giving him a 4 ounce bottle he couldn't take it anymore.

Trying To Smile

Braydon smiled at me today!!! It just lite up my world and made his fussy behavior slip from my mind. But when I tried to recapture the smile he decided he wanted to be shy. I had to post this anyways because he is just so darn cute. I'll keep trying to get him to smile on video and in pictures.

Passport Time

Today we had to take Braydon's picture for his passport. Yeah you read that right he needs a passport already. Guess that's what we get for living over seas and having a baby.

Do you realize how hard it is to get a 5 week old to sit still and look straight ahead? We tried several different ways and nothing worked. Finally we took the Boppy and put a sheet over it and we got the picture.

I wasn't going to take the chance and try to get a picture were he didn't look so afraid, and with his hair not standing up. Now when I look at this picture I just laugh and remember what it took to get the picture done.

1 Month Already? WOW!

Time flies by so fast! I can't believe that Bradyon is 1 month old already, it's gone by so fast. He is such a good little boy. Loves to be held and cuddle all the time. He is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time now and just loves to look around. When he sits on Daddy's lap he loves to look at a picture I created back in high school. He just keeps doing things new and thrilling every day. He does have his fussy times though. This picture was taken after one of them. He just got worn out from it all and fall asleep on Daddy's lap. It's times like these that make you forget about the fussy times.

3 week Dr. visit

Today was Bradyon's three week Dr. visit. So last night we wanted to get him all cleaned up and smelling nice. Therefore, Braydon got his very first bath (since the last one was only a sponge bath). I was expecting him to scream and cry through the whole thing, but he actually seemed to enjoy it.

Back to the Dr. visit....I was nervous that we would be feeding him too much, but the good news is we aren't. Braydon weighs 11 lbs. 7 oz. and is 22.5 inches tall. The Dr. said he looks good and all his reflexes are good. He was such a good boy, even when they took his temperature (from his bum). His next visit will be at 2 months.

Welcome Braydon Michael Hughes

Welcome Braydon Michael Hughes! Braydon came into this world on May 7, 2009 at 7:35 am. He was 9 lbs, 11 oz and 21 inches long. I was in labor for 19 hours before he was born. I woke up in the morning to having broken my water. Chris and I had a Doctors appointment already scheduled so we just went to that appointment. The Doctor admitted me and we began the process. Because I wasn't progressing enough they had to induce me. Once I was ready to go we tried to push this little guy out for 2 1/2 hours. After which my Doctor told me we could keep pushing or have a c-section. The baby wasn't making much progress. So we decided to have a c-section. Chris got to be with me the whole time and was the first to get a look at our baby. The first thing he said to me was "He has a lot of hair". He also got to cut the umbilical cord. Then he and Braydon left the room. All I got was to see his little face for a second. I wanted to scream "give me my baby" but I was straped to a table and shaking from the drugs. I went to recovery and was there for an hour when they finally wheeled me back to my room and I was able to finally really see my little boy.

Chris and I spent a few days in the hospital with Braydon and we got to go home on Mother's Day. It was the best gift I could have ever gotten. The nurses didn't want to see Braydon go. He was such a flirt with all the ladies. They would ask if they could feed him and got so happy when we said yes. Since the baby stays with us in the room we don't get to really sleep. But the nurses would take him for about three hours in the middle of the night and for that I'm so grateful. We were the only people on the floor so they just fawned over him and were so great to all of us.

Now that we are all home there are sure to be many adventures. We survived our first night last night and I'm sure things will get better. Click on the photo above and you can see all the pictures we have taken so far. I could just take photos of him all the time, that is when I'm not holding him and kissing him. Can't wait for everyone to meet him. Stay tuned for more.

38 weeks pregnant

Since I figure I won't be posting for awhile with my due date fast approaching I had Chris take a picture of me. I posted several of them but don't want to freak everyone out so you'll have to click on the picture below to see how big I've gotten. I feel like I am the size of a house. It's amazing how much weight you gain when you are pregnant. As fast as it went on I hope it will come off.

Our House

Everyone has been asking for pictures of what our house looks like over here. Well since I am pretty much finished putting things away, I figured I'd post some pictures. Click on the photo below to see them.

Easter Weather

Happy Easter!!! Mother Nature doesn't seem too happy today. We woke up to wind gusts up to 30 mph. Then it just looked gloomy outside. Then it the skies opened and it down poured, just look at the picture.

The rain wasn't a good clean rain either. That's something I noticed living here. Our rain it's clean it is brown. I guess that is because we are close to Africa and get the sand in the jet stream.

About 10 mins. after I took this picture it suddenly cleared up and the sky turned blue, the sun was shinning and the birds chirping. I for the life of me will never be able to figure out this weather.

Have a good Easter everyone.

Nesting

With Braydon's arrival just weeks away we have been getting everything together. His room is coming together nicely, we just keep waiting on a few little things that we ordered. It seems like it takes forever for things to get here. I ordered little stickers for his wall and it took 6 weeks to get here. Oh well guess that is part of the joy of living overseas.

Here are a few more pictures of what we have put together:

His little rainforest bouncer seat, it's really cool it has a rain fall and plays nature sounds.

His crib with the monkey mobile.

His swing. I really like this one because it rocks and plays both nature and lullaby's, it even has a timer.

Just love this little cross.

Curious George is there to watch over everything.

Ok so we are a little behind on getting things together for Braydon's arrival. He is due here in a little over a month and we haven't put anything together. Granted we have just moved and had to get things set-up for the rest of the house, but that really is no excuse. So today my goal was to at least get his stroller and changing table together. I really wanted to get the crib together too but after the ordeal of getting the changing table together I thought differently. Therefore, next weekend's project is to put the car seat in the car and put the crib together. Hopefully by then we will have some of the decorations I ordered for his room and I can finish that. Thought everyone might like to see some pics so here's what is done so far.

Island Beater

Well we finally got a car for Chris to drive to work. We weren't looking for anything great (can't expect much here) and we didn't want to pay a lot of money. So we got a this 1992 318i BMW from a girl in his command that was leaving.




It's seen better days but is in pretty good condition compared to some that I've seen. I already have ordered new seat covers and want to give her a good wash and wax to look better. I admit it I blame my Dad for my love of keeping the car looking good. The day we picked up this car we found out that my car had arrived on the island, talk about perfect timing. Our main goal for the BMW is for Chris to get back and forth from work and also if we want to go into town. The roads are so narrower we don't want to get mirrors broken off or anything worse on mine. I know I probably should have sold my car before we left for here, but I love her and wasn't ready to say goodbye. Plus I have to have a car to go grocery shopping and to do what I want to do.

32 Weeks Done!

This picture was taken on Sunday before I went out with the girls. We went to Alphio's Garden to celebrate "Women's Day". It's a big deal in Italy and as I have recently learned all over the world. It's a celebration for the achievement's women have done. The USA doesn't observe this and I really think that's unfair.

A little pregnancy update for everyone. I'm 32 weeks along now and counting the days till Braydon is born. He is the most active little boy in there always moving and kicking and punching. It's almost impossible to sleep anymore. Don't read this wrong, I love being pregnant but they should make it only 8 months long not 9, I don't think I can last another month.

We are getting the house together for the baby's arrival. I think this has been the most fun for me. All the baby clothes and toys are just so cute I want to buy it all.

Mt. Etna

Everyone has been asking for a picture of Mt. Etna so hope this didn't disappoint. This is the view we have from our front yard. The picture really doesn't do it justice though.

Recent Travel

Chris and I are starting to get adjusted to living in Italy. I'm trying to learn a Italian so it will be more helpful when we go out (especially to eat). We finished up our Indoctrination class with a trip to Catania, but before I get into that we took a trip to Palermo over the weekend.

Palermo
There is a trip company on base that organizes trips to different cities and for different events. We decided to take a trip to Palermo since it's the largest city on the island and the one most people have heard of. We caught the bus from the base and took the 2 1/2 hour trip to Palermo. Apparently we live in the part of Sicily that is known as the flat land. Most of the island is full of hills. On our trip up we saw a lot of snow, which according to our tour guide has not happened in a very long time.

Here are some pictures of our trip:

After we saw all the sights I did something very stupid. As most of you know me I can be clumsy, well I got off the bus to take a picture and was watching were I walked, but the cobblestone was very uneven and I fell. I ended up messing up my knee and my chin, as well as screwing up my glasses and dropping my brand new camera. But all of these things didn't matter I was just worried about the baby. Well just to let everyone know Braydon is alright and that is all that really mattered to me.

Catania

On Tuesday we took another trip with our Indoctrination class to the town of Catania. Our guide Andrea was really great and he offered a lot of useful tips. We started out in Elephant Square with breakfast at a Bar and then went to the fish market. I couldn't believe all the fresh fish, meat and fruit. I can't wait until the baby is born so I can have my Swordfish again. Afterwards we went to a place that has wine on tap (how awesome is that). We then visited the flea markets and they have everything, you can get some cool shoes for about 6 euro. I'm totally going back once my feet aren't swollen anymore. We finished by having lunch at a great restaurant that I will have to go back to often.

Here are the photos:

That was just the start of our traveling, I'm sure it will get more exciting and we will have Braydon to show off in the photos so stay tuned.

Sigonella Italy

Well we have arrived in Sicily, Italy. We will be calling this home for the next 3 years. Just a normal day in the life of being married to a military man.

It's beautiful here and hard to believe that I live in such a picture worthy place. When you look out our kitchen window you can see a perfect view of Mt. Etna. How many people can say that?

The pregnancy is going well and Braydon should be with us in a few more months. I've gotten to the point were I'm tired of being pregnant though. I'm sure I'll miss those days when he is around and I'm going on no sleep.

I'll keep everyone posted with new photos once I go out and visit some places.

Shower #2

My Mom had the second Baby Shower for me. This one started out with a lot less drama, which after the previous day was much needed. My Mom made a great lunch and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. My cousin's daughter helped me open my gifts and I think she stole the show.

After two day's of shower's I was really happy to get home. I can't believe after being gone for three and 1/2 days I really missed my husband (it helped that he missed me too). Now I'm back home and we are preparing to say goodbye to Virginia. Time for the Navy to ship us to our next location, but too bad the destination is still up in the air. Hope this all works out before next Tuesday when we need to move.

Shower #1

I went home to Chicago last weekend for two of my Baby Showers. The first one started off with me waking up to the should of water dripping at 6am. It turns out the waterbed I was sleeping on at my Dad's house had busted a leak. So we spent the morning trying to drain the bed and find a dealer who still sells waterbed's. Trust me that wasn't easy. When we finally got the mattress in it was time to fill and as that was happening the company was showing up for the shower. Talk about drama!

Braydon received a lot of cool gifts, mostly clothes which I'm told he will go through quite quickly. My little puppy loved the shower because everyone wanted to hold her, I don't think her paws touched the floor the whole time. After the shower I want to watch the Colts game (trying to root for the hubby's team) and that was just a sad game. Needless to say the day started with drama and ended with a drama filled football game.