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Finally! 38 weeks along!

Preggo Pics

I was only able to find two photos that showed my belly. Tim has taken plenty of other pictures but none showed my belly and that's my fault. I was pretty good at hiding the slightest of weight gain or bulge. I will try to be more agreeable to having my pregnant belly photographed. Enjoy!

The Coolest Thing Ever!

So much has happened but I can't think of anything to write except for one thing.  THEEEE coolest thing ever is all I can think about.  I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday!!!!  So Cool! 

Tim is completely thrilled but wishes he could feel the baby too.  It is my understanding he won't be able to feel the baby kick until I'm further along, about 22 weeks or so!   I'm currently 17 weeks and counting.  

This is so COOL...feeling the baby move!!!

Frozen Tundra or Winter Wonderland?? You decide!!

Once again it has been a very long time since I have lasted posted anything.  As I attempt to write something profound and interesting, I'm at a loss for words.  What do most people do when they are at a loss for words?  They talk about the weather. 

With this being my first winter in Madison, WI I have not done too much exploring.  The main culprit to limiting my exploration of the city has been the freezing cold weather.  Winter came pretty early in the frozen tundra!  By early November, a winter coat was a daily addition to my wardrobe.  By December, the snow arrived and it is still present.  I have not seen green grass since Turkey Day!  In addition to the snow, the temperature has been quite cold.  Mostly, I have not left the house without a warm hat, gloves and my coat zipped all the way up!  Most of January the temperature was in the single digits or below zero, which does not account for the wind chill.  The following description may give you sense of how cold it has been.  When my dog, Bailey, barely makes it two feet from the back door to "take care of business" before she wants to turn around to come back in.  It is so cold her her, at times she needs to lift up one paw at a time while walking around just to give that paw a break from the cold.  She will alternate each paw giving each one adequate time to "warm-up" enough before touching the ground again.  

One could imagine that spending too much time outdoors in the winter doesn't happen too often.  I thought I was pretty smart purchasing snow pants and a full coverage ski mask.  I figured it would be easy to walk Bailey for 20-30 minutes while wearing warm bulky snow pants, ski mask, gloves, hat and boots...well, I was wrong.  It was very hard to breath the cold winter air even through the ski mask.  Any moisture that accumulated on the fabric froze instantly and my nose and lips would freeze to the fabric.  In addition, Bailey would start with her alternating paw walk.  I just had to give up the winter walks and be creative with my time. 

I've always enjoyed the roar and warm glow of a wood-burning fireplace.  Fortunately, the home Tim and I are renting has one in the living room.  However, the inviting warmth of the fire could not bring me to build too many fires because that meant venturing outside in the cold for the firewood.  Boy, don't I sound lazy and defeated by the cold.  But wait, there is more to the story.  I learned that keeping the chimney flue closed and having many blankets to snuggle under, to be very romantic.  This is what a true Wisconsin winter is all about...snuggle time under a blanket! Enough said! Not quite! 

All the snuggles lead to us having a baby!! That's right, I'm pregnant with our first child!! So, what do you think? Frozen Tundra or Winter Wonderland?  

Jer and Char's wedding weekend.

Last month Jer got hitched. The wedding was tons of fun and very elegant. All the events of the whole weekend from start to finish are well documented on Tim's blog. So, check out some the the following pictures here than head over to Tim's blog.

The following pictures are of the morning of the wedding at the salon.

This is the bride, Charlene. There were at least two ladies tending to her all morning. I believe she felt like a princess.

Here is a picture of Rachel having make-up applied.

Kate was the next seat over having her make-up applied too.

Charlene's sister, Pam in the mist of an up-do. She has really long hair and it took some extra time to pull all her hair up but the end result was beautiful.

This is Charlotte, I believe she was the first one to have everything complete. She looks like an Ann Taylor model to me. (Sorry the picture is a bit blurry, too many cups of coffee that morning).

Here is the Maid of Honor, Julie. That water bottle did not have water in it...she and Charlene started the drinking a bit earlier than the rest of us... Mimosa's.

Pam and Charlene's Mom gave her something old, blue and borrowed.

Check out Charlene's vail hanging on the cabinet door to avoid it form getting any dirt or dog hair on it before the ceremony.

Go to Tim's blog for all of the events. Enjoy.

Woo Hoo! I finally updated this thing!!

The summer months have been very busy and joyous.  I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of the great people.   When Tim accepted the job offer at Raven Software we both knew that relocating to a different city would be difficult.  However, we both feel very fortunate that we were able to tackle this adventure together!!  That makes a world of difference.  Also, some of Tim's friends from Chicago also accepted a position at Raven and this allowed a natural group of friends to develop.  Tim's friendships with "the EA boys" has grown stronger.  And, I have had the pleasure of getting to know the boys and all the wives and kids too.  

"The wives" or "the girls" having been keeping each other busy throughout the summer.  We go out to dinner to celebrate each of our birthdays.  We have attended summer concerts, street fairs and the farmers market and we have had a BBQ at someone's house at least 5 times this summer.  The group also meets for Sunday brunch on occasion.  Also, we have started a book club.  All these events have allowed us to develop a nice friendship.  None of us have family in the area, so we are sort of a "surrogate family" for each other.  In addition, we are all  "gamer wives" and we understand what it is like to have our husbands working long hours for weeks on end.  So, we tend to support each other through these times.  It has been a great pleasure getting to know all the families.  I feel very fortunate to have made such great friends.    

This is a picture of Todd and KC.  Tim and I had everyone over one night for dinner and drinks. It was fun just sitting around the dinner table talking and making joking.  Todd looks so pleasant and KC his planning something devious.  They are both tons of fun.  

Adele and Dan, they are the newest members to our group of friends.  They just relocated to Madison in July.  There is one bone of contention with this couple....notice the Steelers hat on Dan's head.  Yeah...we are working through this flaw.   

Here is a picture of Matt (left), Tate (center) and KC (right).  This was a BBQ night at KC's. Tate's wife is not pictured I believe she was out of town.  Matt is still playing the field and has yet to settle down. 

This is a picture of Meredith.  I can't believe I don't have a picture of her with her newborn Gabby.  Often, Gabby likes to hang-out in a "sling" around Meredith's shoulders.  I believe Mere is enjoying her free time while it last.  Below is Gustavo, Meredith's husband with their other daughter Maya.    

Here is a crazy picture of RJ and his son Noah,  two peas in a pod.  Marisa (yes I have a friend named Marisa...sounds just like my name) is pictured below.  Her and RJ are expecting, a baby girl, this December.  Congrats!!

Mike with his daughter Iris blowing bubbles at one of the BBQ's.  His wife Tracy is pictured below with their other daughter Sage.   Every picture I had of Tracy this day she was laughing and having a good time.  

A better picture of Sage (left) playing with Trevor.  Trevor is the son of Mark and Kelly.  

A close-up of Iris...too cute to pass up this photo.  

Mark is holding his son Spencer.  This day Spencer couldn't get enough of his Dad.  Kelly is pictured below fixing a drink for one of her kids.  The following picture is of their other son Trevor, digging a hole outside of  the sand box.    

That wraps up what I've been doing here in Madison with my new friends.  There has been a couple of weekends were Tim and I traveled to Chicago to visit Josh, Rachel and Norah and vice versa.  And a different weekend to visit Lisa, John, Jack and Will.  It has been very nice having family 2 1/2 hours away versus 9 hours.  Traveling the short distance is much more manageable for a two day weekend.  I hope to post pictures of the family weekends for my next post.  But, there is no telling when that may happen.  So, just check out Tim's blog.  That will keep you up to speed.    

Family Time before my move to Madison!

Spending time with family before I moved to Madison was tons of fun.  Below are pictures of the time I spent with family.  The first bunch of pictures are of the Latini side of the family.  We gathered at my sister Monica's house for Easter and for a birthday celebration for Morgan and Madison...they are now 10 years old!! 

Below is a photo of my brother-n-law Grant, my sister Alanna's husband.  Later in this posting you will see pictures of their whole family at Bearon's Baptism. 

My brother-n-law Scott, sister Monica's husband.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of Monica because she was sick for the Easter and birthday celebration =(.

Here is my nephew, Bearon...my second godchild after Morgan!!

My nephew, Major thinking about birthday cake!

Here is my nephew Joey, so serious in this photo!

 

My oh so cute niece, Casey.

Always happy and excited niece, Morgan my first godchild.

My beautiful niece, Madison...10 going on 16! 

My brother, Dennis...unusually serous in this photo!

My spunky and free spirited sister Lora.

My loving and caring mother... She is looking upon her newest grandchild with those loving eyes and smile. 

My Dad, looking for the best bargain in the newspaper ads...his speciality!

The next bunch of pictures are of my husband's side of the family.  It was great spending time at my in-laws house...just relaxing and telling great stories.  And of course, goofing around with Norah!

Brother-n-law, Joshua with daughter Norah...she is inside my purse!

                                     

Another picture of Joshua and Norah with Gizmo! 

Picture of my father-n-law, Norah and Molly.  Norah had found her voice and can scream very well.  Dad and Molly are stunned by the sound from this little girl.  

I'm not the most attentive person when it comes to taking pictures.  I have failed to get a picture of my mother-n-law, Rachel and Jeremy ( and Charlene. She was at work).  

The next grouping of pictures are of the baptism for Bearon.  And at the very end, a good bye and farewell picture of my nieces and nephews (well 2 nephews are missing from the picture, Jack and Will.  They live in Chicago and didn't make into Clevleand for the celebration). 

 

Sister Alanna with husband Grant and their two sons, Major 2 1/2 years old and Bearon 5 months old!!

A picture of my two godchildren, Morgan and Bearon and me. 

For my next post, I'm hoping to have some pictures of my new friends I met here in Madison.