Life as we know it!

The great job search: 2012 edition

2012-01-18T22:58:00.003+01:00

A few things:

1.) Our household goods have arrived and will be delivered tomorrow! I have lived out of a suitcase since Nov. 12 and have done very minimal shopping. I'm supremely impressed with myself. Forget unpacking our beds, I'm going straight for my clothes and baking supplies!

2.) Our Escape is also ready to be picked up in Oakland. Yay!! Token's boss so generously volunteered to make the trek out there to pick it up. Thank you for sparing me the 8-hour road trip.

3.) I am job searching like crazy and trying to network my behind off. I really think the key to my happiness here will be finding my niche, and I'm really trying to get people to see that I'd be an amazing addition to their team. I'm on LinkedIn and have made some great connections on there, and have also joined the Sierra Nevada PRSA chapter. I'm really hoping something shakes loose for me soon. I'm looking for a job where I can write, be creative, use my past experience, and continue to learn and grow. It could be agency, corporate, newspapers, magazines... really anything in the media field. Somewhat on topic: I really need to brush up on my interview skills. Funny as this may sound, I've never had a traditional "so tell me about yourself" interview. I've been really lucky to have been in the right place at the right time for my past jobs. It's weird to amp myself up, and is way out of my comfort zone. I had an interview a couple weeks ago, and I keep thinking back on it and realizing how much I should have said, and how much I rambled and really sounded stupid. Ugh. The verdict is still out on that one, and while I'd really like it, I'm afraid I didn't sell myself as well as I should have.

4.) I lost 30ish pounds the second half of 2010, and because I'm stressed about finding a job, making friends, settling in here, I'm stuffing my face and not tasting the food. Total emotional eater. I need to rein it in, but I can't seem to do it. Focus.

High Desert Living!

2012-01-12T18:41:00.003+01:00

Hello from Nevada!

Change. Oh, sweet, unpredictable change. I love you and hate you all at the same time. Our household goods are expected to be here until the 18th (or the company gets charged), so for now, we are living in officers' quarters on base. It's not so bad, because we're in an Admirals suite, but I'm ready to get our stuff here and start to get some kind of schedule. Because we're stateside, Amelia and I don't get dependent ID cards, which means we can't get on base without Token, which means we're pretty much confined to the base. We can't shop at the NEX or commissary, either. Bummed, but it'll be okay!

I've been networking like crazy to land a great job and career here in Reno, and I hope to find something soon. Fingers crossed!

My first observations about Nevada:
-fruit and veggies here don't mold - they just dry out due to the climate.
-it's very, very, very dry here.
-the landscape is beautiful, but man, Fallon is in the middle of nowhere.
-people are very friendly. It seems sort of Midwestern in that regard, which I like.

Ciao, Sicily & andiamo, Reno!

2011-12-01T20:55:00.003+01:00

What happens when you get what you want? Let me tell you - bittersweet feelings. As much as I've loved living in Italy (the pace, the people, the food!), it's no secret that I've wanted to settle down somewhere and make roots. Not just for me, but for Amelia. I so deeply want her to make friends now that she'll graduate with later. After many prayers and crossed fingers, my wishes have come true, and the B family is moving back to the land of milk and honey - the United States of America!

So, why the bittersweet feelings? It's funny - you can wish for something for so long that when it actually happens, you start to take a deep look at the life you've been living and realize - hey this isn't so bad! The Sicilian lifestyle is one about family. The so-called "Slow Food Movement"? Well, it's always been a "thing" in Italy, not just a trend or fad. And the travel! Let's not forget the travel. The opportunities are amazing, and we have been so blessed to have been able to travel Europe and get a glimpse of how other people live their lives. (the sole reason to travel, in my opinion)

All of that aside, I am extremely excited to settle down in Reno and make our mark on what so far seems like a hip, friendly city. To be a part of an actual community without the strings attached of "how long will I be here, and how much should I invest emotionally?" is a great feeling. Loving the high desert living!

Um... hi!

2011-02-16T09:50:00.002+01:00

Gosh, what's happening to me and this blog? I've been SO incredibly busy, which is a good thing, but it's hard to keep up on here. Some highlights:

I've started a little cupcake business: www.facebook.com/batterandbowl, and it's been so successful so far. I'm really stoked and having so much fun doing it. I've learned a lot about myself through the process of getting it up and running, and I feel really content and happy with how it's working out.

Amelia is amazing. She 'talks' all the time and it's so cute! She now says, "I don't know" and hold her hands up like she's shrugging. It's so cute! Other new words: cheese, good girl, good job, agua, kitty, chicken, turtle, milk, more, night night (she's obsessed with putting her dolls and stuffed animals night night. She even covers them up with a blanket!). She has all the basics: mama, dada, hi, bye, ciao, si, no, etc. She's a ton of fun and has so much personality. She LOVES to dance, and attempts to jump, but it's more like a bent knee thing where her feet don't leave the ground. It's hilarious! She's just so much fun.

For Token's birthday, I surprised him with a trip up to Bologna to test drive a Ferrari! I booked it through www.ilovemaranello.com. We leave in a couple weeks and I can't wait!

What else... I think that's it for now. I will *try* to get on here more often! I miss jotting down my thoughts!

Antique Market

2010-11-30T15:37:00.006+01:00

We went to the Catania antique market a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures!

I really wanted that wagon wheel, but Token didn't want to carry it around.

Bet you never thought your Dolce & Gabbana stuff came from a truck like this!!

C'mon now! Who wouldn't want this gem?

Hiking Monti Rossi

2010-11-30T15:25:00.005+01:00

A couple weekend's ago, we took a little hike up onto what is called Pineta Monti Rossi (Red Pine Mountain). It was SO much fun!!!! Here are some pictures.

We didn't realize there were stairs, so we made our own path to get up to the trail heads. Um, yeah, once we got there, we saw that there were stairs - 267 of them, so that should tell you how steep it was!! It was rough going there for awhile, and I was questioning our decision to hike.

Token and Amelia did some silly Italian exercises...

Our house is down there somewhere!

The hill on the right is the one we hiked! We went all the way up to the top. Fun!

One year...

2010-10-13T07:59:00.003+02:00

One year ago, I was in labor, getting ready to welcome my biggest blessing into the world.

It's hard to put into words this past year. It's been a year of learning, and observing, and opening my heart to a love I've never known before. I'll admit - today is bittersweet for me, and I've already shed some tears because my baby girl is growing up and it's just going way too fast. I just want to bottle up all that she is now and keep it in a box to open whenever I need a pick-me-up. I'm so thankful and feel so blessed that I have such a spunky, independent, hilarious little girl.

To my sweet Amelia,

I love how when you wake up, you take a big looooong stretch and then stand right up and reach your arms out to be picked up.
I love how you laugh when we chase you around the house, and how you find the closest person to "protect" you.
I love how you read books, by really studying each page before turning to the next one.
I love your cuddles, even though they are getting fewer and shorter because you want to be on the go.
I love the look on your face when you know you're not supposed to touch something but touch it anyway. It's such a little smirk, and I can't be mad at you.
I love how you will hold my hand when you walk.
I love when you recognize me or your dad from far away and will flap your arms and point and smile.
I love your love for animals, and even though your "love" can be rough, I know Nikko loves you, too.
I love how you wake up on the weekend and sit in your crib and talk to yourself before we go in and get you.
I love how you'll stop everything you're doing if you hear music, and that you'll look around to find where the music is coming from and then will start dancing. It's the cutest thing ever.
I love you.

Happy Birthday, my baby girl!

I'll love you always,
Mama

Amelia's first birthday party!

2010-10-13T07:32:00.011+02:00

Well, the party I planned for over six months is over. It was tons of fun and I think it went really well. I don't have the best pictures, but here are some.

I was super proud of the sweet table. It turned out really well! Pictures don't really do it justice.

Getting the food set up. Here's the menu, in case anyone's interested:
http://annies-eats.com/2010/08/25/turkey-pesto-sliders/
http://annies-eats.com/2010/07/13/ham-and-cheese-sliders/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pumpkin-and-black-bean-soup-recipe/index.html (THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!!!)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/06/rosemary-skewers/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/12/cheese-puffs/

We also did a caprese salad on skewers, and baked a bunch of frozen stuff, like arancinis, southwest rolls, and stuff like that.

See my cute owl skewers? They were originally going to be for a mixed drink, but we ran out of time, so Token put the caprese salad on them. They turned out so cute!!

More food... in the white bowl is a pumpkin pie dip --- YUM!!!!

Token made this banner at the last minute. I'm glad he's crafty like that!

Amelia's cake that she could not have cared less about.

Jones Sodas and bottled waters personalized.

The kids who came all got little Trick or Treat felt bags filled with little toys and stuff. I bought Chinese take out boxes and treat bags for the adults to fill with candy from the sweet table.

My little birthday girl!

2010-09-12T11:12:00.003+02:00

June? Really... it's been since JUNE that I last updated this? Oh my goodness!!!

Let's see. Amelia turns 11 months old tomorrow. This whole baby stage has gone SO fast. It's unbelievable that she's one month away from being one. Crazy. She is walking, running, and into absolutely everything. She's so much fun. I love that kid!

We just got back from a whirlwind 5-week long trip to Indiana. It was tons of fun and I am so sad to be back in Italy. Crossing our fingers for a move back to the States soon.

What else has happened since June? Oh, I started back at work! I am just not cut out to be a stay at home mom. I think being stuck on a mountain with no American friends nearby really put me into a funk that I'm slowly getting out of. Work really seems to balance me, and I'm SO glad I'm back at it.

I promise, promise, promise to update this more often! Here's a recent picture of Miss Amelia Marie with her great grandma Ruth.

In for some trouble!!!

2010-06-23T12:50:00.001+02:00

Amelia's latest trick.

Eek!

2010-06-09T13:35:00.007+02:00

Has it really been over a month since I last updated this thing? What happened to me? Oh yeah, that thing called motherhood! Ha! Amelia is almost eight months old now, and she's crawling, cruising and really close to walking. Ohmygosh, slow down, little girl!

For Memorial Day weekend, we went on our first beach vacation to the western side of Sicily and the town of San Vito Lo Capo. The weather was kinda crappy, so no swimming, but Amelia got to walk in the sand and dip her little baby piggies in the freezing cold water. Good times!

We stayed in a bungalow on a campsite: La Pineta and it was so unlike any other campsite I've ever been to (not that I've been to a lot of campsites or am a good judge of campsites or anything, but I digress...). It had a full on restaurant, pizzeria, espresso bar, amazing grocery/CVS like store... everything! It was crazy! And so occupied. It was definitely the.place.to.be this holiday weekend. Here are some pictures!

Road trip! From our house, it took about four hours to get there. Amelia was a champ and did great!

(oh, and I should take this opportunity to mention that no shoes made on planet Earth will fit my daughter's feet. They are long and skinny and nothing fits. They'll fit in length, but be way too wide, or they'll fit in width and be way too short. So, this summer we've decided that she'll go barefoot. Don't judge.)

I packed a little pool float, Amelia's swimsuit, a hat, and towel, fully expecting to swim for the first time with the baby, but the water was so absolutely freezing that all we could do was look at it. Oh well.

I love this girl!

Since swimming was out of the question, we decided to head into the main part of the town and check out the beach. Amelia LOVED walking in the sand, and dipped her toes into the Med for the first time.

She was completely mesmerized by the waves coming in. She stared, and stared, and stared. Even when we started walking back to the car, she kept turning around to look at the water. It was really cute.

As we were wandering around town, a man selling gelato stopped us and gave Amelia her first balloon. He also started to unwrap a sucker for her, but I said no. He was surprised and said, "es frutta, es buena," as in, it's fruit, it's good. Not that kind of fruit!! He told me to take it for later. It's still in my diaper bag. Ha!

We have Amelia on a bedtime routine. She gets oatmeal at 7, a bath at 8, and then a book and a bottle. Since there wasn't a bath on the campgrounds, she got the next best thing - a sink bath!

The next day, the weather was a little better, but still overcast and windy. We headed to the beach and spent the day out there.

That evening, we went to dinner with some friends of ours. They have a baby a few months younger than Amelia, and Amelia loves her! It's cute! We checked out the next morning. Good times!

Vote for my Amelia, please!!

2010-05-03T21:16:00.001+02:00

I entered Amelia into a contest to be on an upcoming issue of Parents Magazine. It works out perfectly, because you have to be available to travel to NYC in August, and I'll already be in Indiana! Will you please vote for her? You can vote once a day until May 9. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Here's the link:
http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/263712

Take a walk with me!

2010-05-01T12:39:00.006+02:00

Most days of the week, Amelia and I take a little stroll around our neighborhood. Join us!

My walking buddy usually conks out on me.

We call this street Barking Dog Lane, because it seems like every house has a yapping dog.

This house has a water bowl built into the side of their outer wall. They also always have some kind of food out for the strays in the neighborhood. It's usually pasta, but today, it's crackers!

I always come prepared...

Just a note: I don't feed the dogs behind gates. There is a pair of dogs kinda by our house and they are so sweet, so I usually give them some treats.

The other day, I stole flowers from this plant. I'm not sure if I was supposed to, but the damage is already done. They smell good!!

Our neighborhood is really hilly. I usually do lunges up this hill, playing peek-a-boo with Amelia... when she's awake. Hehe...

I think this is a cute house.

Hey look, my walking buddy's waking up!

When we get home, Nikko is always waiting for us by the door. He's such a good cat!

And finally, totally unrelated to our walk, this is how I found Amelia after she woke up from her nap yesterday. Houdini!

2010-04-30T09:49:00.001+02:00

Not much happening on this side of the world... so here's a picture of my cutie!

Oh the things you'll find in the Italian grocery store

2010-04-23T08:56:00.006+02:00

There's a new mall that opened here a couple weeks ago - http://www.gallerieauchan.it/immochan.html - hmm... looks like it's partly a Simon mall, interesting! Anyway, we went and did a little walk around last weekend, and spent a lot of time in the grocery store, checking out the stuff the Italians feed their babies. Have a look!

I think this is chocolate-flavored formula. I could be wrong, though, and it could just be like the Nestle stuff.

Mozzarella baby food!

I'm not sure what this is, but it comes in both chicken and sheep.

Horse!!! You can get horse in the form of baby food. Crazy!! Oh, and to the left, the "Verdure Miste" is mixed vegetables, I think.

Cow and pig. Yum-O!

This is some kind of mint-flavored fennel. I think they mix it with water and it's supposed to help with sleep.

Here's some other stuff you can buy...

This guy was making fresh mozzarella cheese.

Seafood buffet!

You know how we have the dispensers for candy? They have them for pasta!! Too cool!!

A crawler on our hands?

2010-04-22T20:30:00.002+02:00

Amelia is bound and determined to get this crawling thing down. She gets faster everyday!

Amelia's First Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-07T21:32:00.007+02:00

We had a little pep talk, we stretched, and we got ready to beat all of the other 0-1 year old babies to those precious Easter eggs. How'd we make out? Two eggs! Go baby girl!

She started off by walking to the eggs...

And then I tilted her over to pick up the egg, but she thought the grass would be more fun than the egg to play with. Silly!

She honestly could not care less about the bright, colorful eggs, but had a great time brushing the grass, pushing it down, and just feeling it. It was cute!

After we got home, I got some pictures of her in her egg hunting get-up.

On Easter Sunday, we went over to a friend's house for brunch. I bought Amelia's outfit last year when I was still pregnant, and all the Spring stuff was on sale, thinking I was ahead of the game. That would have worked if Amelia was a fat baby, but since she's little, her dress was a little huge. Oh well, she was still pretty stinkin' cute, even with her tongue hanging out. Ha!

Absent, but for a good reason!

2010-04-01T22:44:00.004+02:00

Sorry for the three-week lapse in posting. Token, Amelia and I flew back to Indiana for two weeks!!! It went way too fast, - as it always does - but Amelia was able to meet Great Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, a Grandpa, and a bunch of other admirers for the first time!

She seems to have taken a big leap in development, too. She regularly rolls from front to back, and she also started walking! Check it out!

We started her on solids when we got back to Sicily. We did oatmeal for three days and then today she had avocado for the first time. She wasn't that much of a fan, but I've read that a baby has to try something at least 10 times before they decide they don't like it, so it's avocado again tomorrow! On Sunday, we'll do bananas, then on Wednesday, we'll do carrots, and then three days later, pears. This is fun!
Open wide...
Hmm... I don't know what to think of this...

Let me get a better taste...

I like it! (the first bite, that is. She made some icky faces after the following spoonfuls!)

Scordia Market

2010-03-07T18:01:00.010+01:00

On Friday, a friend of mine invited me and Amelia to go to the market with her. She's a seasoned marketer, complete with the wheely bag, so I knew she'd be a great tour guide! We hit the clothes first. It's funny the things you can get at an Italian market. Witness 'Sexy Diana' undies!

Nothin' sexy about these, is there?

There was a pottery guy there, and I could have bought a bunch from him, but ended up with some gelato mugs and a cute peacock casserole dish.

I also got this cute, summery table cloth. I think it'll look good out on the table on our patio.

After cruising around in the clothes and other random stuff section, we made our way over to the food, where I bought what I can only describe as the best tasting tomatoes I've ever had. They are SO good.

There was a guy there selling rotisserie chickens, and both Amy and I bought one, but when we got back to her house, we realized that we paid for two and only got one! :( Bummer. I was planning on surprising Token for dinner that night. Oh well. His consolation prize was some Italian bar food.

Here are some scenes from the market.

My girl's a shopper!

More belly laughs!

2010-03-02T12:44:00.003+01:00

Patria Winery

2010-02-28T14:03:00.008+01:00

A couple years ago, Armed Forces Entertainment sent Travelin' Max out to Sigonella to do a couple shows for the community here. After his show, Token and I gave him a small tour of Sicily, and he loved it so much that he and his wife came out here to vacation this past week. They stayed at the Palazzo San Domenico hotel in Taormina, and all I have to say is, oh my gosh. That place is amazing!!!!

We went out to dinner with them on Thursday, and invited them to come along to a winery tour that we were signed up for on Saturday. Max's wife got sick (bummer!), but he was still keen on doing a little exploring with us.

We went to the Patria winery and met up with about 70 other Americans to enjoy some wine and food. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday!

I didn't take too many pictures, because Amelia wanted me to hold her the whole time, but here are a couple.

After we toured the winery grounds and saw the wine barrels and other wine stuff, we went and had lunch. They poured at least 10 different wines for us to taste, each with different food to go along with it. Unfortunately for this non-meat eater, most of the food was living and breathing at some point in time, so I stuck with bread and the most amazing olive oil I've ever had. It was like butter.

Oh, and want to see my new favorite picture?

Two new videos!

2010-02-21T21:38:00.005+01:00

Belly Laughs!!

Roly Poly

Happy Birthday, Token!!

2010-02-11T13:05:00.005+01:00

I can't decide which picture I like better, so you get both. :D

The big 3-5!!!

Buon Compleanno

I think we're destined for "Amelia talks too much in class" report cards.

2010-02-06T22:22:00.003+01:00

Tearjerker!

2010-01-31T11:19:00.002+01:00

Song "Capri" by Colbie Caillat

New Amelia Video!

2010-01-31T10:34:00.002+01:00

Girl's got some energy!

Is it just me?

2010-01-29T16:45:00.001+01:00

Or does this picture totally make you yawn?

She lives!

2010-01-28T21:10:00.001+01:00

Nothing to write about; just wanted to pop on and say hello. If it's clear tomorrow, I'll take a Mt. Etna picture. She's COVERED in snow! (are volcanoes considered female?)

My baby is 3-months old today!

2010-01-13T16:17:00.002+01:00

Woah. That flew by!

Motherhood is so glamourous

2010-01-11T11:14:00.002+01:00

Can you count and see how many times I say "good morning" in this video?

It's January and I haven't posted yet?

2010-01-10T12:41:00.000+01:00

I'll get on that sometime this week. We were enjoying really unseasonably warm weather here last week... I'm talking in the 70's, but I think the warm streak has ended. It's freezing here!! I know it's nothing like it is in the states (hello, single degree temps!), but it's still pretty chilly! It's alright, though... Amelia has plenty of cold weather clothes I need to break out.

I actually have a couple videos I need to upload, but we lost our USB cord for our little camera, so every time I want to get pictures off of it, I have to go to base and get them put on a disk. It's a pain! I'm going to go search online for a replacement cord. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Baby's First Christmas!

2009-12-26T17:29:00.001+01:00

Watching daddy open presents. What is it, what is it?

Something for me??

Well, that was fun, but I'm pooped.

Someone on base gave us this blanket and Amelia obviously isn't a fan. Token wanted me to caption this as, "Get that hairy ape away from me." Hahaha!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

Etna finally has snow!

2009-12-22T12:13:00.001+01:00

(this was taken from our third floor, so it's not the best - sorry!)

It seems like this time last year, the ski lifts were already running and welcoming winter sports enthusiasts with open arms. This year, however, the snow has decided to take its dear, sweet time covering Mt. Etna. While I would only consider this to be a 'dusting,' at least it's somethin'! Maybe we will have a white Christmas after all!

Amelia gets 'culturfied'

2009-12-22T11:56:00.000+01:00

Already learning about Greek history. Her dad is so proud!

Speaking of her dad...

It's safe to say she's wrapped around his finger.

2009-12-14T10:26:00.000+01:00

Sorry I haven't been updating this as much as I used to. It's a little busy around here!

Amelia turned two months yesterday, which completely boggles my mind. We have her two month appointment on Wednesday, and she's going to get a couple shots. :( We've decided to not do all of them at once, and are following Dr. Sears' schedule for vaccinations, but I'm sure it won't be fun for her (or me!).

Here's a side-by-side comparison of Amelia at one month and two months.

It's kind of hard to tell that she's grown, but if you look at her head size compared to the bear's nose, you'll see a difference. I need to prop Mr. Bear up a little better next month!

Here are a couple other photos that I took last week that I just love. When Amelia's happy, she's tons of fun. Unfortunately, she's really gassy and has been crying a lot lately, but I know it's just a phase and baby's are allowed to have bad days once in awhile. They're humans, too!

Love this girl!

2009-12-05T12:16:00.000+01:00

That's all.

The B family takes on Mt. Etna

2009-11-17T17:54:00.001+01:00

Today was GORGEOUS! It was 75 degrees at our house, which is unreal for November. We decided to take a little trek out to Mt. Etna and take in the views. There weren't many people up there, and the views were awesome!

Token was so excited to use the rough and rugged BOB Revolution stroller, and it didn't disappoint. That stroller is amazing! (woah, now that's a sentence I didn't think I'd ever write...)

Token can't resist sharing the history of Mt. Etna... hehehe...

Grand Hotel Timeo - Taormina

2009-11-11T15:43:00.000+01:00

My in-laws are visiting for a few weeks, and as a late birthday present, they got me a spa package at a fantastic hotel in Taormina, the Grand Hotel Timeo. I had knots in my back I didn't know I had!! If anyone is planning a trip to Sicily, definitely check this hotel out - it's amazing!!!!

Amelia's first real bath

2009-11-05T16:46:00.000+01:00

She hated it.

Cute little girl...

2009-10-30T09:43:00.002+01:00

Not much going on around here... I think Amelia and I are going to head out later today and go for a walk. They are having a "Walk the pink out of it" breast cancer prevention 5K on base today. What could be a better event to dress Amelia up for?

We did a little impromptu photoshoot this morning. Here are a few of my favorites. Is it obvious I like sleeping baby pictures?

I implore you to make these cookies!!

2009-10-25T09:18:00.000+01:00

The day before I had Amelia, Token made some really yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. We ended up taking them to the hospital with us to give to the staff, and they were scarfed down. They are SO good!! Make them today!

1 can pumpkin
1 t. baking soda
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups flour
2 t. cinnamon
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. vanilla extract
2 T. milk
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips (the ones that look like mini Hershey bars are the best, in my opinion!)

Mix pumpkin, soda and eggs together. Add all other ingredients except for chocolate chips. Mix well, then add chips. Drop by spoonfuls and bake at 375 degrees for 12-ish minutes. They will be cakelike. And, this is my opinion, but I think they taste better cooled down. Enjoy!

Cutest pumpkin in the patch!

2009-10-25T08:46:00.000+01:00

Complete with a hat from Etsy, researched and bought by Token! Isn't she cute?

The best hubby in the world!!

2009-10-18T13:35:00.002+02:00

When Token and I came home with Amelia, I walked in the front door to discover that Token had decorated the house with balloons, streamers, and the flowers that people had sent to the hospital. I officially have the best husband in the world; a title that can't be disputed.

He had streamers up both staircases, and toys dangling from the light fixture. Very sweet!

To further prove my point, here are a couple pictures from the baby shower he threw for me.

Me and my enormousness...

The co-conspirators. Christine got me out of the house for a "girls' day" and Matt and Token were going to play video games all day. Little did I know...

Playing one of the games...

Ha! Looks like Rob's ready to pop!

Mmm... cake!

I'm so happy that our little girl has such a great man in her life. I know that having Token as a dad will make her a strong woman who won't settle for anything but the best. Needless to say, she already has him wrapped around her finger.

Amelia Marie is here!

2009-10-15T14:48:00.000+02:00

Quick post because, well... I'm a little preoccupied... Amelia Marie was born Oct. 13 at 12:22 p.m. (6:22 a.m. Indiana time). She weighed 5 lbs. 12 oz. and is 18.25 in. long. She's teeny tiny! Here's a quick picture.

Everything here is going well and we are loving getting to know our little girl!

Festa di Pistacchio

2009-10-05T09:27:00.000+02:00

The Italian officials estimate that over a two-day period, over 200,000 people flock to the mountain-side town of Bronte for their annual Pistachio festival. Token and I estimate that at least 175,000 of those people were headed in that direction at the same time as we were yesterday. We were backed up in traffic for MILES before we got into the town, and then finding parking was something special. Thankfully, we stuffed ourselves with arancini (translated "little oranges," these are little balls that are filled with rice and other yummy stuff - in this case some kind of pistachio pesto) and gelato and forgot our troubles.

Oh yes, the pistachio ice cream was spectacular. Yum!!

We also bought some of this stuff. It was kind of like a peanut brittle, but with pistachios instead. Unfortunately, when it got cold, it was like trying to bite into steel, so it had to be trashed. Ah well.

Italians love their stinky cheese, remember?

Okay, so, going back to that aforementioned hellacious time of finding a parking space. We eventually found one, but to get into town and where the festival was, we had to walk down a VERY steep cobblestone street that was slick with rain. Probably not the smartest thing to do for a 38+ week pregnant chick. So, when it was time to go, we had to walk back UP that VERY steep cobblestone street (sans water). I thought I was going to die. Here are some pictures. It doesn't look all that steep, but trust me, it was quite the workout.

But from this picture, you'd think Nikko was the one who had the tough day.

Grape Festival

2009-09-28T11:18:00.000+02:00

Token and I decided to wander out of the confines of our house yesterday and head up to a Grape Festival on the slopes of Mt. Etna. We went at the perfect time of day... hardly any crowds, easy to find parking, and no pushing or shoving. Unfortunately, since there weren't many people, it was kind of boring. And, we didn't find or see any grapes. Kinda strange! Oh well. It was all worth it for this:

CORN!!!! Do you *know* how badly I've been wanting fresh corn on the cob? Let's just say that I have dreamed about it. Token bought four ears. While it's not Indiana corn, it's not frozen, and therefore tastes amazing. Oh corn, how I've missed you.

Sicilian festivals are nothing without cute little blobs of stinky cheese. This booth in particular was extra repungent.

There were really, really old Sicilian carts, which were really ornate and cool.

Each cart has a story associated with it. This one seems to be about deception and murder. Scandalous!

There were also bright and happy painted carts. But what's the fun in that?

We might possibly go to a festival honoring the beloved pistachio this weekend. We'll see how I feel. After we got home from this festival, I conked out on the couch for a few hours. Walking those cobblestone streets takes a lot out of ya!

37 weeks on the dot!

2009-09-24T18:12:00.000+02:00

Like our new duvet cover and haphazardly made bed? :p

Token takes on the flu mist

2009-09-24T09:36:00.002+02:00

Token got his first ever flu "shot" in the form of the nasal mist yesterday. In his 34 years of life, he's never had a flu shot, but there was a Health Fair on base yesterday and they oh-so conveniently were offering them, so he decided to dive in and just do it.

Here he is, stating that he wasn't planning on getting pregnant on the consent form... wouldn't that be a medical mystery?

Here is he, questioning why I'm taking his picture.

One side....

Other side....

Done!!

You're so brave!

Token's famous!

2009-09-23T10:29:00.001+02:00

I'll have to update this with the translation later. I typed "Patto Pro Giovani" into Google translate and got Patty Pro Giovani. Somehow I don't think that's the correct translation!

This came out in La Sicilia, a pretty big Sicilian newspaper here.

UPDATE! Here's the translation:

Today carries a news note about yesterday's Catania Regional Province Sports and Relations with Sigonella Councilor Capuana visit to the MWR facilities at NAS I. Capuana, who hosted a meeting with the base commanders a few months ago, met with MWR officials John Lastname and Token Lastname to discuss cultural, recreational and sports events which would bring Italian and American youngsters together.

Surprise - it's a baby shower!!

2009-09-20T13:31:00.000+02:00

Token surprised me with a co-ed baby shower last night. I was so blown away with the amount of work and attention to detail he put into everything... I'll admit, I cried when I walked into the room. I am such a lucky lady!!

There were around 38 people there to help us celebrate the impending arrival of our baby girl. I didn't have my camera with me, but a few people took pictures and as soon as I get some of them, I'll post them on here.

Token ordered a bunch of flowers to be centerpieces. Here's the one that was on the 'head' table.

This was set up at the front of the restaurant. He rented out a room at an Italian restaurant close to base. It was awesome!!

He put out a book and encouraged everyone to leave little bits and pieces of advice...

We also played games... the first was a word scramble. The second was that he had five different flavors of baby food sitting out and people had to guess what each of them was. The third was for the guys only... they had to blow up a balloon and stick it under their shirts, and, while holding a potato between their knees, had to make it down to a bucket and drop the potato in it. It was hilarious! The fourth was for the girls only, and was an ode to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. There was a bunch of diapers, a bottle filled with juice, and a bunch of pacifiers, and we had to someone figure out a way to build a free-standing tower with everything he gave us. It was fun!! I'm sure there are pictures out there, and as soon as I get some, I'll update this post.

In between games, we ate... Italian appetizers, two kinds of pasta, and meat. There was cake at the end, too. Token is quite the party planner, but did anyone ever question that?!?

Take a look at this diaper cake one of Token's coworkers made for us. Amazing!!!

She knows I like birds, so she put this on top. It's a mom bird and a dad bird and an egg. So cute! (and she made the birds. Cool, right?)

Little baby socks mixed in with the diapers...

One more look.

It was definitely a party I'll never forget. I feel so loved.

Nursery Update!

2009-09-12T12:50:00.000+02:00

The wall decal is up! It's cute.... a LOT pinker than I thought it was going to be, but I'm hopeful it'll grow on me.

Here's Token doing his thing!

Nikko always has be involved. He's found a new nap spot... the changing table!

Now, it looks like the decal clashes REALLY badly with the red wall, but if you see it in person, it's not so bad.

And here's the room so far... it's getting there! (just a note, Italian homes don't have closets, hence the freaking huge armoire that's rapidly being filled with clothes!)

It's getting there! I ordered a bunch of cute prints off of www.etsy.com and they should be here soon. Two will go on the left wall, two will go on the right wall, and one will go behind the rocking chair.

Oh, and you want to know what Token said to me after he was done? "I'm going to go watch sports." I think the pink is getting to him! :p

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T17:33:00.000+02:00

It's Labor Day - the day that marks the unofficial start of Fall, and the day where women nationwide hang up their white pants and shoes until next Spring. Since I'll be the one laboring in just a few short weeks, Token decided to spend his holiday working on Baby Girl's nursery. The ultimate task? Get the curtains hung. Now, you may think that this is an easy task, but you'd be wrong. The curtains our landlords originally hung were all kinds of crazy (including chopping off the nail at the base so their tenants couldn't remove them (mwhahaha), so Token had to figure out a way to get them down and get the new ones up. I must say, he did a fabulous job! (ignore that chair sitting there... it was Token's ladder)

Nikko even helped! :p

Next up? The wall decal that's going up behind the crib. I must say, it's coming together really well!!!

Want a yummy Mac & Cheese recipe?

2009-09-03T11:35:00.001+02:00

I caved and made mac & cheese last week. I've been able to resist for, oh, 8.5 months now, but decided I had to eat it before the baby comes because afterward I'll be trying to lose weight, and let's just say that this recipe isn't very diet-friendly.

It's called Homestyle Mac & Cheese and came from a recipe book from Gooseberry Patch. It's so easy and soooo delish!

Preheat oven to 325.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pour in 2 cups (I usually do about 2.5 to 3 cups) pasta of your choice (I've done penne, ziti, cavatappi, and regular 'ol elbows) and cook until al dente (not *quite* done). After pasta is done, transfer to a mixing bowl.
Melt 2 T. butter in a saucepan over medium/low heat.
Add 2 T. flour to the butter and whisk together until absorbed.
Slowly pour in 3/4 cups milk and whisk together with flour/butter mixture until thick.
Add a pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and some dried diced onion (I've used fresh, too, and it's good)
Whisk everything together. Bump up the temperature a little bit and add 2 liberal cups of the shredded cheese of your choice. The recipe calls for 1 cup of Colby Jack and 1 cup of Cheddar, but I just use whatever we have on hand (unless it's mozzarella. I don't think that would work very well).
Mix everything together until the cheese is completely melted.
Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and stir together.
Add 1 cup sour cream to the pasta and mix.
Pour pasta into a baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and paprika. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Mmmmmm.....

Skype Shower!

2009-08-31T11:38:00.000+02:00

Many thanks to my mom for throwing me a baby shower via Skype!! I had tons of fun seeing everyone and I hope you all enjoyed yourselves! Here are a few pictures...

Thank you so much for the wonderful baby gifts. Baby girl is already so spoiled!!

Perhaps once she decides to make her grand entrance, you all can meet her on Skype! Isn't technology cool??

New Look

2009-08-28T14:25:00.004+02:00

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I wanted a little blog design change, and here it is! Bright and colorful! What do you think? Like it? Or should I keep looking for something else?

Update: 9:45 p.m. Sicily time. I changed it again. I'm not completely in love with this one, but I'm tired, so you don't like it, you're gonna have to deal. :p

Garden Watch 2009

2009-08-27T09:41:00.014+02:00

Remember when I was talking smack about our garden, and how I didn't think it would bear any fruit (err... vegetables)? Well, the garden must have ears and feelings, because it is completely out of control.

This is what it looked like a couple months ago.

Colorful, yes, but you can't put flowers on the table to eat.

Here it is now!

Crazy, right? The peppers shot up overnight. The plant is so tall.

The basil is as yummy as ever.

Now, the cherry tomatoes look like they are dying, but I still have faith. If there's one thing I've learned, it's to never underestimate the garden.

These are cherry tomato numbers three and four. :p

The squash is running rampant. (BTW, I'm not a squash fan. I don't know what we're going to do with all of these squashes (squashi?))

We have mysterious mint, too. We don't know where it came from, but we sure didn't plant it. Token's been drinking mint lemonade this week.

And here it is again in all its glory. See that pitchfork out there? Token bought it at the base Asian auction. People thought we were crazy, but I think it looks pretty good! Very down-home country.

Impressed?

Nikko tackles the car seat

2009-08-27T09:20:00.003+02:00

Last weekend, Token put together the Snap N Go, which is basically a stroller frame that your infant car seat snaps into. That way you don't have to take the baby in and out of her car seat and wake her up if she sleeping. It just snaps right into the stroller frame. Pretty cool!

I would say Nikko approves.

Wouldn't you?

Wanna see something icky??

2009-08-21T19:12:00.011+02:00

So the other night, Nikko was begging for me to open the window in one of our bathrooms. The window has a shutter on the outside and a glass window in the inside. We don't usually open them at night because mosquitoes tend to get in and eat me alive while I'm sleeping. But, Nikko insisted and since he rules the roost, I obliged, opened the window, and went back to whatever it was that I was doing.

When it was time to go to bed, I went into the bathroom and heard this loud scurrying noise. I looked up, and the beady eyes of the HUGEST gecko I have ever seen stared back at me. Look at this monster.

I wish I had my hand up there or something to show how big it was, but since there was no way in tarnation my hand was getting close to the thing, we estimated it was in the six/seven-inch category. Basically, gigantic for the gecko variety. It also had scales that were raised and they looked like horns. In other words, it was freaky.

I, of course, flipped out and sent Token in (who had just gotten out of the shower, so he was.... ahem, 'free to the world') to get the beast, but not without our wonderful gecko-catcher and the cat who got us into this predicament in the first place, Nikko. Catching geckos is one of Nikko's favorite things to do, and he's really good at it.

But wouldn't you know? The fearless cat was scared out of his mind! He was grasping his paws around Token's neck and his eyes were so wide; he was petrified!

So what do we do? Shut the bathroom door, wish Token good luck, and wait for the all clear.

Yeah, who's the tough guy now, Nikko?

(BTW, Token was able to shoo the thing out the window. Sorry to be so anti-climatic, but that's all that happened in the end.)

Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby

2009-08-12T09:18:00.007+02:00

Token was bugging me last week to find out if there were any labor and delivery classes on base. I have been avoiding that topic, because I'm just delusional that that's going to happen in just a couple months and enjoy being blissfully unaware. Plus, I really don't enjoy watching birth videos. Some might think it's a beautiful thing - labor, that is, - but me? Not so much. The end result is all I'm looking forward to.

I reluctantly made some calls and found out that the American Red Cross offers a three part series called Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby. However, they only offer the classes every other month, and we'd already missed the first August class. We are unable to take the October classes for obvious reasons, so we went ahead and signed up for the remaining two classes this month.

There were videos, props (yeah, I'd rather NOT see how long the epidural string thing is, thankyouverymuch), and other topics that pretty much made me squirm, but there was some humor out of the whole thing. Here's Token in the 'empathy belly.'

I would say this alone was worth the $20.

30 weeks

2009-08-07T09:13:00.000+02:00

Just for the heck of it....

Booooring!

2009-08-06T10:25:00.005+02:00

Sorry it's been so boring in here lately. It's just so hot outside that we aren't really doing all that much. There is a peach and pear festival this weekend that we might go to, but I'm not sure just yet. We'll see!

Good news!! Our crib, changing table, and one yet-to-be-picked-up box came into the NEX this week. Token's on assembly duty this weekend. I can't wait!! Did I ever show you the bedding I bought? Here it is:

Now, don't think I bought the whole entire set. Talk about pink vomit! Haha! I just got the crib skirt, crib sheet, window valances, drapes, and two pillows (that are going to go on the glider).

I also bought this wall art from Etsy:

It's a removable sticker and will go on the wall above the crib. I think on another wall we'll do some framed pictures of the bambino that I hope I'll have enough energy to take when she's a newborn. We also need to get a rug and might go looking for one this weekend. The floor is a reddish terracotta color, so I think we'll go with something beige-y.

I have the vision in my head, now I just need all the pieces to come together. Did I mention I'm 30 weeks pregnant today?? That's 75% of the way done. Wowza, it's going fast!!!

I'll breathe a sigh of relief when the car seat I bought that was shipped on June 25 gets here, and when our new car, which has YET to be shipped, actually gets put on the boat. The car thing has been a fiasco. We committed to buying it (from New Exchange Car Sales - not recommended!!!!) over a month ago. We purposely started looking early, because it takes 55 days to get here, and I'm a planner and wanted some cushion. Basically, no communication from the guy at the "dealership" and a bunch of paperwork was needed that we didn't know about, so it kept/keeps getting delayed and delayed. Now it turns out that the guy who was helping us was fired, so there's a new guy who told Token on Monday that the car was waiting to get transferred to the boat. Why that takes days, I have no idea. I just want it to start its voyage, darn it! I keep telling Token to let me talk to them and I'll get the point across that this is unacceptable, but he hasn't passed along the contact details. Hmm... I wonder why? I'm pretty good at giving people the wrath these days. Mwhahaha.

29 weeks 1 day

2009-07-31T09:00:00.004+02:00

Sorry the picture is kind of blurry. I was standing on my tip toes and was kinda shaky!

Next week I should have something other than baby to write about. Tomorrow night, Token and I are going to a musical production of Hair with some of his co-workers. Apparently the dialogue is all in Italian, but the songs are in English. Should be quite comical... :p

My first visit to the Maternal Ward....

2009-07-29T13:29:00.002+02:00

Had some 'issues' (umm... spotting and cramping, eek! Sorry for the TMI!) this morning that freaked me out. I called the hospital and they had me come in to the OB ward at the hospital for a non-stress test. Everything's a-ok, and I hope that's the last time I have to go there...

We did get a nice little walk-through of where I'll be for recovery and stuff, so that's pretty cool. The rooms look really nice and are huge!! The doctor also confirmed for the fourth time that this baby is a girl, so that's good! My boss's wife just had a baby on Saturday and they thought all along she was having a girl and actually had a boy, so Token's kind of been on edge. ;)

I'll update tomorrow with a 29 week picture. 29 weeks!!!! Oh my gosh!!!

Doctor's Appointment in Italy...

2009-07-22T09:35:00.008+02:00

Or, a more suitable title might be 'How long will the Americans be kept waiting before they complain?'

When I heard that there was a doctor's office out in town that offered 3D ultrasounds, I jumped at the chance to get one done. The appointment was set up through the Navy hospital's referral system, since the doctor's office didn't speak any English and we aren't good enough at Italian to make an appointment on our own. The appointment was set for 5:30 p.m. last night. I got directions, loaded them into our Garmin, and we hit the road with plenty of time to spare to allow for getting lost and traffic.

We amazingly didn't get lost, but had to walk up and down the street a few times to find the small, nondescript building that housed the doctor's office. My eagle eye vision spotted the 1/A and we headed up some dirty, dimly lit steps that were littered with cigarette butts and entered what can only be described as an old, rundown, "am I in a third world country?" doctor's office.

The air was stale, the A/C shut off, and pregnant women and what seemed to be their entire extended families lingered all around, fanning themselves with magazines to circulate some air. Token and I are so obviously American, so everyone stared at us, probably wondering what in the world we were doing there.

The office didn't have a reception desk, so we didn't know where to go and who to check in with, so we just grabbed a seat on one of the old lime green couches and waited to see what would happen.

About 10 minutes later, a short Italian woman, dressed in a white nurse's outfit (for real... down to the posturepedic shoes), who was at LEAST in her mid- to late-70s, came into the room with a Post-It note pad. She talked to one family of about seven (including, mom, dad, grandma, friend, other kids, aunt, etc.), and then headed over in our direction.

She asked us our name and Token wrote it down on her paper, and then she started barreling questions at us as we stared blankly, trying to string together the words "3D ultrasound, seven months pregnant, appointment at 5:30." The room at this point had fallen silent, as everyone strained to hear our attempt at Italian and figure out just who we were and what we were doing there. Either we satisfied the nurse's questioning or she gave up, because she gave us a flip of her hand and walked away.

We waited and waited.... and waited some more as people who had come in after us were whisked away to see the doctor. We concluded that seeing the doctor in Italy is the same as waiting in line here; whoever is the pushiest goes first, regardless of appointment times.

So, after waiting 1.5 hours, I made Token get pushy. His Italian co-worker knows everyone. Seriously. He's like the Mayor of Catania. Token got him on the phone and explained what was going on and was about to hand the phone to the nurse for what was probably going to be a great ass-chewing, when the nurse said something to us that Token translated was 'we're next.' But just to make sure, we stood smack in front of the door to the doctor's office, prepared to defend our place in "line."

Finally, the nurse escorted us into the office, and we kind of, somewhat talked to the doctor, although we thought he asked what we were there for and instead he was asking when I was due, so I think he was confused when Token wrote 3D Ultrasound on his piece of paper. Haha! He also seemed confused when Token wrote 15 October on his piece of paper, because he looked at me, then at my stomach and shook his head. Hm.

He ushered us over to the ultrasound machine and let me just say, I wasn't prepared for just how much I had to pull my pants down. At the Navy Hospital, you can still be somewhat modest, because really, all they need to see is your stomach. But here? Oh no. I might as well have taken my pants off completely. The doctor was also a whole heck of a lot rougher with the ultrasound wand thing than the U.S. doctors. With the U.S. doctors, it was all, "I'm going to apply a little pressure," which amounted to not much pressure at all. With the Italian doctor, to get the baby to move, he was shake my whole entire stomach violently. It wasn't pleasant. He showed us different body parts (it was like Italian 101! Eye = occhio, feet = piedi, brain = cervello, etc.) and printed out a bunch of pictures. Here are a few!

This picture makes me sad, because it looks like she's crying. Can babies cry in the womb? :::heads to Google to search for the answer::: Why, yes, it looks like they can cry! Interesting. Poor little girl. :(

I'll just pretend that she's rocking out to her own little song, because here's a shot of her hand, in a classic "rocker" pose. (and yes, she does have all fingers; we saw them)

The doctor liked the picture above in particular. You see, the 'hook 'em horns' hand gesture is extremely offensive in Italy. It's way worse than throwing someone the middle finger and I think it means something equivalent to 'your wife is cheating on you' or something like that.

The doctor spent about 30 minutes with us, and then the nurse violently wiped away the gel from my stomach (with scratchy paper towel - ouch!), we paid some Euro, and headed on our way. The whole process took 2.5 hours.

The whole thing is definitely a fun memory and a good story for the baby book, that's for sure!

Sorta, kinda, maybe a cherry festival

2009-07-14T11:10:00.015+02:00

A couple weekends ago, I (Token... yes I actually take pictures & write) went to a cherry festival with some friends. It was a blistering 95+-ish that day. Tracie wisely decided to stay home and veg out in our pseudo-air conditioning and nap the day away with Nikko and Baby girl :)

This is a very interesting cathedral in the town of Milo... you would never guess how beautiful it is inside. The cherry festival (of a whole 5 booths) was across the piazza from here and it was a dud :( The cherries that we bought were incredible, though. So, with the festival being a bust the gang headed out for some more Mt. Etna region fun.

The highlight of the cherry festival for me was this cheese and meat booth... good local flavors, but dang there sure was some stinky cheese in there. I had the unfortunate experience of buying some of this cheese and stunk up everything around me... Sorry Matt & Christine. I hope the car has all the funk out of it now!!!

Here we are... the Milo cherry festival crowd!!!

Neat front door of the cathedral in Milo. The sets of doors depict the key moments in the town's saints lives and miracles.

So, this little truck/veggie stand by the 100 Horse Chestnut Tree was pretty neat... lots of great local flavors to taste. The tree that we stopped to see is the largest & oldest chestnut tree in Europe... kind of a neat thing to enjoy the shade under on a hot day!

Seriously... SNOW on the peak of active Mt. Etna on a 95+ degree day! Crazy weather this summer in Sicily... as you can see, though, the vineyards are right on track.

The fields all around Etna are filled with grapes and other seasonal goodies that are sure to please in the very near future!

Road kill tourist style... actually there were much better Rob pix from this trip but those are saved for more appropriate times when black mail and good embarrassment merit :)

Lunch... can you go wrong with spaghetti carbonara in Italy anywhere? This plate was made at an amazing little restaurant on the side of the road on the edge of a small town on Mt. Etna. Meals like this make me love living in Sicily!

Anyone else notice that there are no pictures of cherries? Interesting... but the trip was more about being with good friends on a beautiful day in Sicily! Tracie was very well rested when I got home and Nikko was ready to roam the yard for geckos and whatever made the mistake of entering his domain!

26 weeks 1 day

2009-07-10T10:22:00.002+02:00

Here ya go! Please pay no attention to my nasty hair. Read a couple posts below to find out why it looks like crap. When it gets up to 90 degrees in my office during the day, there's no way I'm going to blow-dry my hair in the morning. It's just not happenin'!

Token - 1, Deer- none

2009-07-10T09:25:00.005+02:00

Token got the film developed from his run-in with Bambi in Utah a few weeks ago, and oh my gosh! Check them out!!

(Jeremy, you should rest assured that your Saturn Ion should be able to take the brunt of deer hitting your car while you're driving at least 70 mph. Though I don't recommend testing this theory.)

The woes of working

2009-07-09T13:25:00.003+02:00

I haven't mentioned this on the blog, but my office is a furnace. The guys from Public Works (PW) can't figure out why the air conditioning isn't working, but it's currently 89.4 in here at 1:30 p.m. I have called, emailed, stalked, and harassed everyone I know who works at PW for a month now and nothing has been fixed.

Today I put a call in to the local Human Resources Office to find out what would happen if I didn't come in to work, or if I left early, citing 'unsafe work conditions.' I wanted to know if I'd be charged leave. I just got a call back from someone at HR and she basically told me that I would be charged leave because it's a "personal decision and personal discomfort." I asked her if the same would ring true if I had a doctor's note (hello, 6.5 months pregnant here!) and she said yes. She said that the only thing that I can do is request for my boss to find a vacant office on base to move me to. Yeah, that's not happening.

My next step is to file a complaint with the Base Safety Office. From there, who knows. I just can't take this anymore. When I get home from work, I literally have no energy, no appetite, and just want to sleep. The only good thing to come from this is that I easily drink a gallon of cold water a day, but the relief only lasts for a bit.

Anyone have any advice on what I can do short of quitting?

Six months already??

2009-06-29T15:18:00.003+02:00

Last Thursday marked the 24 week of pregnancy. Crazy how fast time is flying!!

I had my six-month doctor appointment today and all looks well. He did say that her heart rate was a little fast (160), but after lying on the table for a little while, it came down (150). You could hear her zip by the doppler thingy, so he said that she was probably in there doing somersaults or something, which caused her heartbeat to go up. So, no worries. One weird thing. They didn't weigh me, they just asked me how much I weighed. I gave them the number I weighed this morning, which, according to their charts, is four pounds LESS than what I weighed last time. So, now I'm concerned that when I go back for my 28 week appointment, it's going to show a huge gain. Blech. That's probably the hardest part about being pregnant. :( I'll get it all off, though, I know it!

Here's a picture from 23 weeks.

I'll take another picture in a month when I'm seven months along.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...

2009-06-28T19:51:00.010+02:00

...how does your garden grow? We aren't eating home grown tomatoes or peppers yet, but things are moving right along! Remember what it looked like a few months ago?

Here's a refresher:

Here it is today!

It doesn't look very different, but I am optimistic that those little seedlings are down in that lava-rich soil doing their thing. (...at least I hope they are.)

The squash seems to be the All-Star and over-achiever right now. It's the leafy looking stuff on the edge.

The peppers and onions are the slackers of the group.

Hey, even if we don't get any vegetables, I do have the cutest little garden markers.

We have a little bitty basil plant. Yum - basil!

And the sage has always done well. Nikko loves the smell of sage. Can't keep him out of it!

In fact, he loves being in the garden period. I wonder if that's the reason some of the stuff isn't growing? Hmm... maybe he needs some catnip.

All things tomato....

2009-06-23T13:08:00.013+02:00

This past Saturday, while Token was busy hitting deer on an interstate in Utah (he's fine; the rental car is totaled; I didn't ask about Bambi because I don't want to know), I attended a MWR class on how to cook with tomatoes.

Unfortunately, however, I didn't walk away from the class with much more than a full belly. I had all of these envisions of taking great pictures of every step and posting a tutorial of sorts on here, but the guy basically threw a bit of this and a pinch of that and sometimes didn't even tell us what he was doing, so, I apologize that this post will not contain well-kept secrets of a Sicilian kitchen.

It will, however, contain pictures!

This is one of our 'teachers.' In this picture, he's transferring the oh-so-red, ripe, and yummy tomatoes from one tub of water to another. This is his cleaning process.

Mmm....

After that, he enlisted the help of some would-be chefs to get rid of the core of each tomato, squeeze the seeds out in a bucket and then transfer the now seedless but no less dignified tomato into a strainer. This was to make the tomato sauce.

After the squeezers squeezed the life out of no less than 500 tomatoes, he loaded the red fruit up in his heavy-duty blender and pureed the little suckers to a pulp. From there, he transferred the puree to his wood-burning oven to cook. He said that after 10 minutes, make sure it's boiling and then cook 10 more minutes. Simple! I think he might have added salt in there, too. Someone in the group asked if he added sugar too, and she got the look of death. Blasphemous is the Italian who uses sugar in his tomato sauce!

While the tomato sauce was boiling, we went to another part of the farm to help make sun-dried tomatoes. Oh sun-dried tomatoes, how I love thee. To make them, we used tomatoes that were bigger than cherry but smaller than plum and cut them in half, but not cutting all the way through. We then lay the not cut all the way through tomato on a wire sheet-like kind of thing.

Exhibit A:

(oh, and see those ones with the greenish looking seeds? They should have been tossed, as they do not make for good sun-dried tomatoes.)

After all the tomatoes were not cut all the way through, they were heavily, and I mean HEAVILY, doused with sea salt and left to sit in the sun for 24 hours. After 24 hours, you have to come back outside and roll the outsides of the tomatoes out, because the sun causes them to shrivel and want to hide. After 24 MORE hours, they are done. A piece of basil is then put on one side of the tomato and they close 'em up. They are then stored in glass jars filled with olive oil that has only ever touched terracotta, and only the very first olive oil that comes from the press. (I think... it was something like that, but I don't remember the specifics)

So, after we essentially did this lady's work for the day (ha! kidding!), we returned to the outdoor kitchen to eat. The chef had made a traditional Sicilian ragu sauce, but it had meat so I passed. The sauce had to cook for two hours, so he had already started on it when we got there, so I don't have pictures of that process. So sorry!

We also ate some bruschetta, which is probably my most favorite Italian food of all time. The bread was toasted and delish, the tomatoes were diced up and mixed with garlic, onion, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper, and it was just yum. I tried to take a picture, but ate my piece so fast that there wasn't anything left to photograph. We also ate pasta with the tomato sauce from the smooshed tomatoes. Oh, and he served some kind of sausage, no idea what it was because sausage and I are not friends, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it!

The farm we went to is an agriculture farm, and they grow pretty much all of their own food. He gets his meat from his father who owns cows and chickens (for eggs) and it's just all very organic. This farm in particular is in the olive oil making industry and sell their flavored olive oils on base. We have a few at home and they are really good - especially the garlic and rosemary flavors.

And finally, here are three pictures that have nothing to do with tomatoes, but are from the farm and I just like them, so deal with it!

I don't know which I like better, so you get them both.

This Thursday there's a 'how to make homemade pasta' class that I'm tempted to go to. We'll see. I'd have to write about it for the paper, which makes it somewhat trickier because you have to take pictures and listen to the instructions at the same time. Now, while I can walk and chew gum at the same time, this is a bit different and would be for publication, so there's just a bit more pressure. I don't know... I'm intimidated by it! If it were just for fun and for the blog, I'd be all for it, but for the paper, I'd need the step-by-step process, and, as you can see above, it's tough, especially when the chef doesn't tell you anything he's doing! I'd have some angry Sigonellans knocking on my door for not giving them the correct flour to egg ratio or something. And my fragile ego just can't deal with that.

NAS Sigonella 50th Anniversary

2009-06-15T13:39:00.006+02:00

Whew. What a weekend. More so for Token than for me, but let me just say, being pregnant and on your feet from 8 a.m. until 1:15 a.m. is no fun. I was so sore yesterday.

This weekend was Naval Air Station Sigonella's 50th anniversary, and both Token's job as well as mine required us to be on hand for the festivities. Token planned and organized his first large scale event, the MWR County Fair, and it went without a hitch with over 6000 people in attendance both days. Go Tokie! It was tons of fun and I think people really enjoyed themselves. Poor Token is on a plane to Salt Lake City right now, and is hopefully catching up on his Zzzz's. He's one tired puppy!

Here are just a couple pictures from Saturday's activities. (everything kicked off on Friday, but I don't have any pictures from that. There was an official ceremony, the County Fair kicked off in the afternoon, and the band Hinder closed down the event that evening. FYI - Token said they were true rock stars. I asked how he meant and he said "they were trashed." Nice!)

Saturday morning was the seven-mile base to base run. I risked my life getting this picture, but I think it was worth it!

From there, the County Fair stuff kicked off again with games, food, and rides. There was also a Sigonella vs. Italian Air Force soccer game with traditional Sicilian flag throwers at halftime and a bunch more. Oh! I also took a break from the heat and watched the movie Up. Has anyone seen it? It made me cry on a number of occasions and I left the theater kinda depressed. Not what you'd expect from a Pixar movie!

Anyway, back on track. The Navy Band performed that night and they were awesome!!! I was really surprised!

And here's a really cool picture of one of the rides that I went on.

Got ya!! I don't think Baby Girl would appreciate the centrivical force. (BTW, Token was able to feel her kicking last night!! She's getting stronger!)

The anniversary celebrations closed with a really good fireworks display. They couldn't set them off until 11 p.m. because that's when it's dark, which in turn meant that clean-up started around 12 a.m., hence us not getting home until 1:15 a.m.

I think it was worth it, but from now on, we'll be driving separately to all-day events like this. ;)

I'm determined...

2009-06-11T13:36:00.016+02:00

... to finish this Greece recap this week. Here's the final post of our vacation, and contains mostly random pictures in a random order. Don't hold it against me, m'kay?

On Sunday, we rented a cute little SmartCar convertible and drove around the island. I was a major grouch that day and Token put up with me. I'm surprised he didn't just drop me off at the hotel and go exploring on his own. ;)

Look at this cutesy little car!

The hotel's cat, Stratos is a frisky one!

Plan foiled!

Our view from dinner one night.

Where I'm happy to say neither of us ate THIS:

::shudder::

Pretty sunset shots...

See? I was groooooouchy!!!! Rarrr...

Just random prettiness.

Baby bump picture with the sunset...

And yet again more sunset. Oh Stratos, you lucky cat who gets to view this sunset six months of the year. (the other six he's in Athens. Lucky critter!)

As they would say in Greek, The End. No, seriously, I typed "The End" in English in Google Tranlate and said to translate it to Greek and it said it was The End. See? Hahaha!

Okay, well I realize that picture is teeny, but trust me. I says that "The End" in Greek is "The End."

Baby GIRL update!

2009-06-09T15:20:00.002+02:00

Just got back from my doctor's appointment. I'm 21 weeks, 5 days along today. Everything looks good... blood pressure good, weight good, fundal height good. He got the results from my quad screen and everything came back negative, so that's doubly good. I'm not really feeling much, if any, movement, so I asked about that and he said not to worry because the heartbeat is strong and the ultrasounds have all been normal. He said that it gets important to feel movement at 28 weeks, but before is not as important. I have to go do my gestational diabetes test tomorrow and am hoping that'll come back negative, too. So, that's that!

Cruising on the Aegean

2009-06-08T10:14:00.010+02:00

On Saturday, Token signed us up for a catamaran tour of the caldera in the Aegean Sea. It was really cool. There were only eight of us on this huge yacht and we felt so exclusive, especially passing by other boat tours packed to the gills with people and a loudspeaker blaring exactly what they were seeing. Ours was definitely the preferred way to see the sites.

The island of Santorini was originally a big, huge volcano. There was an eruption a long, long time ago, and the top of the volcano sank into the ocean, leaving behind what is now known as Santorini (translated as Saint Irene). Where the top of the volcano once was is now the ocean, which is called the caldera. Some scientists think that this is where the lost civilization of Atlantis is located.

::Tracie takes a bow::

Anyway, moving on to some pictures. On our tour was a married couple from Philadelphia and a gay couple, who were hilarious. It was a really fun group, especially after lunch when the captain of the boat popped open the bubbly.

Leaving the port at Oia

The island has three distinct beaches - white sand, black sand, and red sand. Our first stop was to anchor right by the red sand beach for some swimming. The water was FREEZING, but that didn't stop my little Aquaman!

And here he is snorkeling by the white sand beach.

Look at how clear the water is there! Really no need for a snorkel when you can see the bottom from standing on the boat.

The black sand beach was not so much of a beach, rather a bunch of lava mounds. The water surrounding the lava was like a hot spring, so we stopped there for awhile.

It's funny... Token was always the first one in the water. Guess there's something to be said for Aquarians loving water.

Just a cool picture of the sail. Token took this!

And finally, cruising back to the pier.

Santorini, Greece. In a word: amazing

2009-06-02T12:31:00.023+02:00

There wasn't supposed to be a day three of our stay in Athens, but those pesky Greeks decided to have an aviation strike the day we were due to fly down to Santorini, so we had to adjust our travel plans. Word of warning to anyone traveling to Greece. Do NOT fly Olympic Airlines. Our original flight pre-strike was set to take off for Santorini around noon. The best they could do for us was put us on a flight the next day at 9:35 p.m. Even my tears and excessive rubbing of my baby belly didn't elicit sympathy from those cold-as-stone Olympic reps.

Token took pity on me and we decided to check with another airline, Aegean (awesome!) and were able to buy two tickets for the following morning at 5:35 a.m. Olympic did NOTHING in terms of vouchers for dinner, hotel, etc. Nada, ziltch. Boo on them.

So, we spent one more night in Athens, but this time at the Sofitel by the airport. We didn't really want to pay the 60 Euro fee one-way twice plus the cost of a hotel, so this was the best plan. We had a whole day in front of us, so we jumped on the airport shuttle that took people out to this shopping complex thing, and tortured ourselves walking around Ikea. It's tough shopping knowing you can't buy anything! We ordered room service for dinner and just pretty much did nothing. Oh, and we found out that our hotel in Santorini (www.ikies.com) still charged us for the night we were stuck in Athens. Nice. This is a hotel that's supposed to be known for their customer service, and I have to say I was pretty let down. It was a strike, for crying out loud. What were we supposed to do?!?!

Moving on. We got to the airport around 4 a.m. the next morning, relieved to see that flights were departing on time. The flight to Santorini was uneventful, and we flew over a bunch of Greek islands. The sun was just rising, so it was really, really pretty! However, someone with a greasy forehead enjoyed the view out of the airplane window before our flight, so there are no pictures. I didn't want to find out if swine flu was transmittable via stranger grease. Blech!

We landed in Santorini, filed in to the one and only baggage claim and collected our stuff. There was a driver from the hotel waiting to pick us up. The drive to the hotel was pretty fast, and we climbed higher and higher until we got to the town of Oia (pronounced Ia). Two staff members from Ikies were waiting for us, one to grab our bags and the other to show us to our room. Breakfast is served every morning out on each room's terrace, but since it was only 7 a.m., we had to wait a couple hours until ours was delivered. We took that time to take a couple pictures of our home for four days, and I took a quick nap.

Around 9 a.m., they came through with breakfast. It was good stuff!

When we first checked in, we were given a list of what items were available for breakfast and we kind of went to town checking things off. Token went back the second day and requested double the meat and cheese, because we had some furry visitors that begged to be fed, and we were happy to oblige.

Check out this view!

The first part of the afternoon was spent lounging around our terrace. Token tested out the private hot tub, and I read some magazines.

This was on Friday, May 15, which also just so happens to be our wedding anniversary. 5 years, Mamma Mia! We got a nice note from the hotel staff and a bottle of champagne that Token drank on our last night there.

After relaxing for a bit, we headed out to explore the town. Here are some scenery shots. This place is truly remarkable!

The blue domes are churches!

This was taken from a bathroom window!

The town was kind of like an artists' town. There were local artists selling their stuff everywhere. Blown glass is really popular, as is stuff made out of pumice.

Our hotel is waaaay down there on the other end.

After wandering a bit, we headed back to our hotel, where Token enjoyed the pool again.

We had a few more visitors, too. I think they were looking for dinner. We couldn't help them, though, because we had reservations at a place for our anniversary. Next time, kitties!

We ate dinner at this place called Ambrosia. It was so good, and the view was beautiful! We each started with a salad. For our main course, I had some kind of pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, and Token had what he describes as the best lamb he's ever tasted.

Mmm....

After eating, we decided we needed to walk a bit, so we wandered around the town for a little while and then headed back to Ikies. Fun first day in Santorini!

Athens - Day 2

2009-05-27T09:10:00.026+02:00

Although we were on vacation, since we technically only had one day to explore Athens, Token insisted on getting up early to get a jump start on exploring. We had breakfast on the roof and then hit the road.

This is a really bad picture, but shows you how close we are to our first stop.

After this, we went to see where the 1896 Olympic games were held.

This is what it looked like then...

And this is what it looks like now...

Token was lovin' it!

Since it started getting pretty hot outside, we decided to buy tickets on an open air bus tour. My kind of site-seeing!! Token, however, prefers to walk, although he now admits that we would have never seen all that we had seen if we had not jumped on the bus.

(oh, and that guy behind him was trying to get out of the picture. Didn't work too well. Haha!)

Here's some of the stuff we saw on the bus:

Changing of the guard...

The college...
... and a bunch of other stuff that we didn't take pictures of. Sorry!

We stopped and got off at the Archeological Museum and wandered around there for an hour or so. Token was happy to see this statue of a javelin thrower.

And I thought this was a pretty cool statue. They found these two pieces separately and they fit together so perfectly that they decided they must have been one piece at one time.

After the museum, we hopped back on the bus and headed up for the Acropolis, where we hopped off one final time. The hike up to the top of the Acropolis was a CRAZY one, but we took it slow and eventually got there.

This looks just like the theater in Taormina. No wonder - they are both Greek! It all makes sense now!

Doin' the bump...

Token's amazed at all things historical.

And I have to admit, it was pretty cool. It leaves a lot to your imagination. Like, how they did they build it? It's on a HUGE hill, overlooking the entire city and it just such a presence. Very cool.

After wandering around on the Acropolis for a bit, we walked down the hill and into Plaka, where we got a bite to eat.

Mmmm.... Greek salad. (minus the feta for me. Feta is non-pasteurized and therefore a no-no for pregnant women. This PSA brought to you by the Dairy Council.) The authentic Greek salad has the following ingredients: cucumber, tomato, caper, green pepper, red onion, olives, feta cheese, and olive oil. And it's delicious!!!

And you *know* Token had to get an authentic gyro.

Which he loved.

After we grabbed some gelato, we headed to this roof top outdoor movie theater and bought tickets to watch Angels and Demons. Very cool way to end the day!! To the left of the theater, the Acropolis was all lit up and it was just really fun. The movie was in English with Greek subtitles, so it worked out perfectly.

After the movie, we went back to the hotel and crashed as soon our heads hit the pillow.

Time out!

2009-05-26T12:51:00.004+02:00

Time out from the Greek recap for some late-breaking Baby B news. After much poking and prodding this morning by the radiology technician, we are happy to announce that Baby B is officially a GIRL! Let the shopping commence!

Here are some pictures.

The first picture of this set is the baby practicing her yoga. That's the top of her head down by her feet. The tech said he needs to follow up with us after the baby is born to see if she likes to roll up into a ball. He said to buy lots of swaddles. The second one is her "no more pictures, please" pose.

Though the picture may look deceiving, the thing that you are thinking is a penis is actually the umbilical cord. Baby B is definitely a girl! The tech said that for a girl, you look for a 'hamburger' and for a boy, you look for a 'turtle.' It's all very technical. :p

It's all Greek to me...

2009-05-22T12:33:00.012+02:00

I have to admit that I've totally been procrastinating posting about our Greek vacation. We took well over 250 photos and the thought of organizing them and laying them out into a post makes my head spin a little. But, I love all of you, so I'm willing to give it my best shot.

Please forgive me for not knowing all of the historical names of places in Athens. I tried to listen, I promise, but my mind would wander to other things, like, "why is that guy peeing on the sidewalk in the middle of the day on a busy street," or, "I wonder if I just briefly touch that painting in this art museum if anyone would notice,".... stuff like that.

My first impressions of Athens:

the people are VERY proud of hosting the 2004 Olympics here. Our taxi driver both to and from the airport made us crane our necks to see the stadium. You can tell they really enjoyed having their city on display.
It's dry. The dirt was already cracked as if they hadn't had rain for months.
It's modern. In fact, I would dare to say that it's more cosmopolitan than Rome. And (shhh....), I enjoyed it more than Rome.
They allow people to smoke in their airport. Upon leaving to return to Sicily, we filled out an airport comment card in which I left the following critique. To preface this statement, you have to know that the Greeks seem to be very energy conscience. The escalators don't move unless they sense motion, the lights are dimmed, etc. We basically said that we find it ironic that they work so hard on energy conservation, but don't seem to care about smoke in public places, or allowing non-smokers to breathe in second hand smoke. I think we ended with something like, "Thank you for shortening my life span." Take that! There was a blank to leave your name, but Token thought that might get us on some sort of 'do not allow to fly' list, so I left it blank. I kinda wish I hadn't, though. I want to know what they'd say in response.
They don't flush their toilet paper down. There's a bin for toilet paper next to the john. Um. Ew, is all I have to say about that.
There's a ton of traffic, but we never had any problem crossing the street at crosswalks or anything.

So, without further adieu, here's part one of Athens.

We flew out of Catania on Tuesday morning, arrived in Rome for a short layover, and were quickly on our last flight to Athens. We landed in Athens, commented on how much warmer it was there than in Sicily, and got a taxi to our hotel, the Athens Gate, which was located right in front of the Temple of Zeus and really close to the Parthenon. Take it away, Wikipedia:

"The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, built in 470-456 BC, was the ancient Greek Temple in Olympia Greece dedicated to the chief of the gods, Zeus. It was the very model of the fully-developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order. The temple stood in the most famous sanctuary of Greece, which had been dedicated to local and Pan-Hellenic deities and had probably been established towards the end of the Mycenaean period. The Altis, the enclosure with its sacred grove open-air altars and the tumulus of Pelops, was first formed during the tenth and ninth centuries BCE, when the cult of Zeus joined the established cult of Hera."

Don't ya feel smarter now?

This picture was from the balcony of our hotel's rooftop bar and restaurant.

The first day we were in Athens, we explored a little bit around the hotel, but not before stops at two of our favorite places...

Hard Rock Cafe (The Haystack Chicken Salad tastes the same no matter what country you're in. It's amazing, actually!)

And Starbucks.

Once fully stuffed and caffeinated, we headed to do a little bit of exploring. It was starting to get a little dark, so we didn't do much, but went to the cute, quaint little town of Plaka and wandered the streets. A shop owner gave me a keychain with the eye of good luck on it, to wish good luck for the baby. Yep, I'm definitely showing now. No doubt about it!

Here are some of the things we saw before we called it a day...

(I don't remember what this is called. Some kind of entrance for Zeus, maybe? Or, maybe I made that up? I don't know.)

We tried to go in to see the ancient stuff, but they were closed for the evening. Not to worry, though - we'd be back bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning! Err... make that Token would be bright-eyed, bushy tailed. :p

After we found out that this was closed, we went back to our hotel (literally across the street) and Token got a beer on top of the roof. The view of the Acropolis was really pretty cool from the roof, although you can't really tell in this picture.

Ahhhh..... vacation.

We're back!!!

2009-05-20T14:19:00.001+02:00

We had a great time in Greece! Traveling to and from absolutely SUCKED, but at least the actual in the country part was amazing. Stories and photos to come...

Ultrasound

2009-05-11T19:23:00.004+02:00

Well, today was the big day... because of a cancellation at the radiology department, my 'big' ultrasound was rescheduled for today. I was so excited to find out if Baby B was a he or a she. Come to find out, he/she is kind of shy and decided to not show his/her parts, so we have to go back on May 26 for round two. The technician did say that he's 80% sure that we're having a girl, but to not go shopping yet, so.... we'll see!!

He also said that all of the measurements look good. Baby doesn't have spina bifida, has two arms, two legs, a bladder, stomach, and all of the other stuff we all need to survive. So, yay! Here are a few pictures.

Look at those feet!! Hehehe!

And with that, we're off to Greece! Be back in a week!

Mother's Day dinner

2009-05-11T11:09:00.009+02:00

So, with all of our onions and garlic (see proof below. We got way more than we could ever use, and some was given away to Token's co-workers today.), Token made a fabulous Mother's Day dinner. The weather was amazing yesterday, so we dined al fresco (outside). It was very nice.

He made some sort of potato, garlic, onion mash type thing with sun-dried tomatoes, a pasta dish with chicken, garlic, and squash, and some good 'ol Texas Toast. Mmm....

I couldn't even finish half of it. I was stuffed!

Nikko sat at the window the whole time meowing and begging to be let out. He's a bugger, but we love him.

Oh, and here's our hanging garlic. When we get back from Greece (we leave tomorrow!!), we'll take it down and store it inside. Pretty nifty!

One last picture. Here's a blurry picture of our garden. Token planted some more flowers and also some veggies. We now have tomato, pepper, cucumber, and onion growing. We also have sage and basil growing. I ordered some really cute garden markers from Etsy to mark what is where. Grow baby, grow!

Be back later this afternoon with the results from our "big" ultrasound. This is the only time I am ever going to encourage my child to show his/her nether regions. I hope he/she isn't shy!!!! I'm thinking it's a boy - any other guesses??

Garlic Festival

2009-05-11T10:46:00.018+02:00

Yesterday, Token and I headed to the town of Trecastagni for the annual garlic festival. It's actually a festival to honor the three patron saints of the town, but the main draw for non-Catholics is the garlic. They have it all over the place... check it out!

Supposedly, you are supposed to hang the garlic out in the sun for 15 days and then store it in a cool place. They say it can last up until a year, but I don't know if I'm willing to test out that theory!

Here's a picture of me with all the hoards of people. It was PACKED, and Italians aren't the most patient people, so there was a lot of nudging and pushing. The old women are the most notorious for this. I might have elbowed one in the face because she wouldn't stop pushing me. (small joke... kinda...)

Anyway, here's me and my "baby belly" which is a whole lot of nothin'. It looks like it here because I was leaning back and pushing my stomach out, but believe me, if I were not to do that, you wouldn't be able to tell.

Another one of the draws to the fair, in addition to the patron saints and the garlic, are the traditional Sicilian horse carts. These things are amazing. The detail is so intricate. There were well over 24 of these horses lined up getting ready for a parade down the main street.

Men ride in the carts behind the horse and play music. Very cool stuff.

Trecastagni has a great view of Mt. Etna. The snow is pretty much all gone, and there's been a lot more steam than we've seen since we've lived here. Hmm....

Moving on to festival food... we have some sort of sausage...
with all of the fixin's....

cheese...

... and lard.... (yes, lard, as in fat, as in Crisco-like substance, as in artery-clogging, as in gross. They slice it thinly, place it on top of a piece of bread, and chow down.)

We bought some onions and garlic, and I'll show you what Token fixed up in the next post.

Doctor Appointment

2009-05-06T12:14:00.003+02:00

I am 17 weeks along tomorrow, although I'm not too positive about that. The ultrasound I had when I was 12 weeks slated me for an Oct. 6 due date, so I don't know... the doctor said that since it's not that much further from Oct. 15, we'll just keep that date. It'll be interesting to find out when Baby B decides to face the music!

Let's see... Baby B's heart rate was 140, my blood pressure was good, I'm not a carrier for cystic fibrosis (but am not immune to chicken pox - even though I had it when I was a kid!), got some blood drawn for a quad-screen to test for Down's syndrome, and baby is located right where he/she should be.

I also made my "big" appointment for May 22 to find out if Baby B is a he or a she. They had an opening for next Tuesday, but Token and I will be Greece, celebrating our five-year wedding anniversary, so that's a no go. Patience, patience!

Next appointment with the doctor is June 9.

As for Greece, we are spending two days in Athens (just enough time to give Token his history kick. I think he's already signed us up for a walking tour. Joy!), then we are flying down to Santorini (where Mamma Mia! was filmed) for five days. Wanna see the place I booked? It's heaven on earth.

This is our own private outdoor pool!!!!

They serve breakfast every morning on your personal patio. Bliss, I tell ya. I can't wait!

Calgon, take me away!!!

(oh, and isn't it a shame that I'm going to Greece and can't eat feta cheese or the yogurt?? Very sad indeed.)

The garden transformation

2009-04-27T20:10:00.021+02:00

This weekend, Token and I ventured out to a home and garden store and stocked up on flowers and other garden-y materials. Here's the loot from the first trip. (oh, and we got stuff for those pesky weeds going in between the stones, too)

Get ready for up close and personal pictures of flowers. Flowers are my favorite subject! A close second is Nikko.

This picture below is the best picture I've ever taken. I 'watermarked' it, so no stealing!!! :p

Token the green thumb.

Part of the finished front... we have three of these on the balcony and two smaller ones in the back. They look really nice!

We also bought some seeds to hopefully grow some veggies.

We got Nikko some special cat grass, too. I hope he likes it! He chows down on the front yard, so I think he'll like the special 'gatti' grass.

This is where we're going to plant the veggies...

We already have some stuff growing there, like sage...

And rosemary...

And basil...

And cactus...
Stay tuned for our garden transformation!

Messina 1/2 Marathon

2009-04-23T13:33:00.004+02:00

Last Sunday, Token ran 13.1 miles. I sat at home, ate pretzels and watched Kung Fu Panda. My how our roles have reversed. :p

(I do have to say, I REALLY, REALLY miss running but am too paranoid to do it. I've given myself somewhat of a 9-month moratorium on it. We're in month three and I crave it. It kinda stinks. I have been getting exercise in the form of walking and Wii Fit though, so rest assured that I'm not just sitting around.)

Anyway... Token had to be down on base for a 6:30 a.m. departure, and well, getting up at 5 a.m. on Sunday didn't bode well with my beauty sleep, so he insisted I stay home. I did resist - for about a minute - and ultimately stayed in bed with Nikko.

Turns out, I'm not Token's good luck charm, which sucks. :(

He set a personal record - 2 hours flat. Not too shabby at all there, Mr. Runner Man!

Here's a picture from the race. The lady in the pink is the security commander's wife and the guy to the right of her is a Lieutenant, so the two men joked that they were her personal security detail. Haha!

Congrats, Token!

15 weeks along today!

2009-04-23T13:19:00.002+02:00

We've got nothing going on this week... so, so this blog doesn't fade into oblivion, I'll post my "you're 15 weeks" information.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

When will you "show"? At 15 weeks of pregnancy your uterus is just popping up above the pubic bone. You are at a very in-between stage right now. You may not yet look pregnant to the world -- or you may have already popped out. There is a great variation in the time your pregnancy becomes visible. This usually occurs between 14 and 20 weeks. If this is your second or third pregnancy, you are probably "showing" sooner than a first-time mom because the muscles of your abdomen are a bit more lax, and the uterus tends to fall forward more easily because of the relaxation of the supporting ligaments.
(I don't think I'm showing yet, but it's getting harder to suck in my stomach. Is that a bad thing to do? Suck in my stomach? Does that smoosh the baby? Maybe I should stop...)

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Baby's skin is very thin, and blood vessels can be seen underneath. The skin is covered with a fine, fuzzy hair called lanugo, which will not fall out until your baby nears full-term. The heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day. This week marks a period of rapid growth, so get your rest!
(Baby B's a Sasquach! How exciting!)

I was just commenting to Token the other day how I'm not as tired as I have been. And then Tuesday came around and I could barely keep my eyes open. Guess the tiredness comes in spurts?

I made my next appointment with the doctor. It's on May 6. I think they do some blood stuff at this one to test for genetic issues. I'm not too excited to step on a scale. Bleh. The best outcome from this appointment is that I think I get to make the appointment with Radiology for the "big" ultrasound, where they do comprehensive measuring and check if it's a boy or girl!!!! I can't wait! We are going to Greece on May 12 through the 19th for our five-year wedding anniversary, so the appointment will probably be after we get back. I wonder who's in there? Mama's ready to shop!

Interesting Commissary Trip

2009-04-17T11:40:00.002+02:00

Token and I went grocery shopping yesterday and when we got home, he said to me, "Man, I've heard of pregnant women craving strange things, but never this," and hands me the receipt.

We have milk (both white AND chocolate), dish soap, sour cream, and... spread butt?!?!

HAHAHAHA!! (oh, and for those who can't figure it out, it was spreadable butter)

Mt. Etna Rifugio - picture overload!!!

2009-04-16T11:38:00.018+02:00

My boss so generously gave me the day off on Monday, with the stipulation that I had to do a travel story. So, Token and I headed up to Mt. Etna while there was still some snow and I shot a few pictures. The "rifugio" is a popular place for Sicilians to go and drink hot chocolate, get great views of Sicily (if the weather's good), and just hang out.

This is where they serve hot chocolate, but it's not like the hot chocolate you are envisioning. It's eaten with a spoon because it's so thick. Think hot chocolate pudding. Not my cup of tea, but a lot of people really like it! (side note: these pictures are really dark for some reason... I was using the camera from the office and trying to figure it out. Obviously I need more practice!)

There are also a lot of shops around the rifugio...

My little adventurer had to get out and feel the snow on his toes...

The view on the way down is pretty cool. It was cloudy on the way down, but you can almost see the whole island!

Sicilians do this weird thing when they visit Etna... they pile a TON of snow onto their windshield and then see how long it stays on while driving down off the mountain. We had to join in on the fun. Of course!! (oh, and that's our cute little Fiat Punto!)

Haha!

I am proud to report that the snow on our windshield made it all the way to our house, where Nikko got to experience his first sight and feel of snow! I don't think he liked it, though. This is about as close as he got to it.

Token, the kid at heart that he is, decided to build a snowcat. Here he is deep in concentration.

Final touches...

Volia!

I think it looks more like a bunny than a cat, but I don't think the Easter bunny minds. He and Token are tight.

Last Glimpses of Rome

2009-04-10T11:34:00.013+02:00

Here are some last photos of Rome. I didn't really take too many because I didn't want to lug my camera around, and these aren't the greatest, and I'm so deeply sorry for that.

Top of the Trevi Fountain.

Roman Forums.

Something... I don't remember what, though!

Me hanging out of the window of our hotel. Token took this from across the street.

The last day, before we headed to the airport, we grabbed tickets on a jump on/jump off bus that rode around Rome. We never 'jumped off' and just enjoyed the ride. I wish I could tell you what are in the following pictures, but I honestly have no idea. I'm not a good listener. :p

Token loves open air bus rides!

And he loves the Vatican!

And he especially loves when I put embarrassing photos of him online! (maybe that'll get a comment out of him. We'll see, eh? Mwhahaha...)

Back next week with an Easter Eggstravaganza recap. Happy Easter, everyone!

New Baby B pics!

2009-04-07T15:10:00.004+02:00

The ultrasound this morning was good... we got a good look at our little Baby B! Looks like I'm measuring right on schedule for an October 15 due date. Take a look!!

Hello out there in cyberworld!

2009-04-04T20:51:00.002+02:00

Sorry I've been MIA this week... I flew home to Indiana to visit with family and celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday. I'm headed back to Sicily tomorrow and get in on Monday afternoon.

I'll be back to my regular posting soon!

The Vatican

2009-03-26T08:06:00.009+01:00

I'm on a roll this week!

On Saturday morning, Token made us a reservation with a tour group to go trolley about Vatican City.

Fun facts about the Vatican:

The Swiss Guard officially guard the Vatican and the Pope. The uniforms that they wear are very intricate and were believed to be designed by Michelangelo. There are 110 soldiers and 6 officers in the unit and they are intimidating.
The Vatican is its own sovereign state since 1929.
The Pope holds all legislative, judicial, and executive powers. Basically, he's the Man!
The Vatican' s total land mass is 0.17, which makes it the smallest country in the world.
The Vatican has its own telephone service, post office, and newspaper

Alright, enough of that, here are some pictures.

See those blacked out windows? The second set from the top? That's the Pope's office. Guess he doesn't like sunlight... :p He wasn't in town when we visited.

The front of St. Peter's Basilica.

The front of the Basilica. They had chairs set out for the sermon on Sunday, even though the Pope was in Africa at the time.

Inside the Basilica.

Pretty ceiling! I think I want Token to do something like that in our house. It could be done, right?

I think this might be one of my all-time favorite pictures I've ever taken.

We also went to the grotto that holds all of the remains of the past popes through the ages. The grave for Pope John Paul II had a ton of flowers, incense burning, and a lot of people gathered around it to pray.

A tip if you're planning a visit to the Vatican. Go early, book a tour (you get in faster), and have fun!

Baby B's first picture

2009-03-25T11:38:00.003+01:00

We had our first appointment with the doctor this morning! He couldn't get a good picture of Baby B, so I am scheduled for an appointment with Radiology in two weeks. We saw the heartbeat, and the doctor said it was 'at least 120 beats, which is normal' so that's good. Token had a better viewpoint than me, and said that the heart was fluttering a bunch and he could see all four chambers of the heart. Pretty cool! I don't know, in my mind, I figured we'd see the baby bouncing all over the place, kinda like a ping pong ball, but it wasn't like that at all - it just kinda laid there. The doctor said he saw it moving, so I guess that's good enough for me!

Believe it or not, in this picture is a baby. Anyone a pro at ultrasounds and can tell me what's what? I'm at a loss.

Maratona di Roma!

2009-03-24T08:34:00.015+01:00

Ahhh, the ultimate test of countless hours of training pounding the pavement mile after mile. The marathon. It's said that less than 1% of the world's population competes in and finishes the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon. And you can now add Token Dee to that very prestigious list.

He took on the Rome marathon, a route that took him all over Rome, passing by historical sites like Trevi Fountain and the Roman Forum, the Vatican, and other famous monuments. If any of you know Token, you know he likes his history. So this was the perfect place for him to put the pedal to the medal (or in this case, the rubber to the cobblestone) and hit the road running.

But, before the race, there were preparations. There was standing in long port-a-john lines, which reeked of ickiness too gross to describe here (so much so that the guy to the left of Token wore a full on Haz Mat suit to protect himself from the grossness)...

...posing for pictures for overzealous fans...

... and smelling, touching and rubbing up against a bunch of strangers at the starting line.

But there was also this:

... running past the historic and breathtaking Colosseum...

... making friends with thousands of other crazies... I mean, running fanatics... :p

... your wife cheering you on (and getting choked up) while you cross the finish line... (Just press play, and watch until the very end. Token crosses and then is like, "now what?" It's funny.)

... taking a bite out of your golden official Roma maratona medal...

... and rewarding yourself with some much deserved Hard Rock Cafe food.

I'm so proud of you!! I love you, Token!!

(oh, and his official time was 4:51. Awesome!!!!!)

2009-03-20T09:28:00.002+01:00

I promise this blog is not going to turn into an all-pregnancy, all the time thing, and not even an all-baby all the time thing, but I have nothing else to talk about right now, so that's what you're gonna get. Until we get back from Rome next week, that is!!

Here's a funny little doodad from a funny blog called www.alphamom.com. I was 10 weeks along yesterday.

Your Baby:

Will officially be considered a fetus by the end of this week. (no more Ziggy!!!)
Is over an inch long, maybe by as much as 3/4 of ANOTHER WHOLE INCH. That's almost TWO INCHES.
That's about the size of a...hmm...*glances frantically around room*...okay, it's slightly bigger than a really big coat button, but not quite as long as a AA battery. There.
Has a heartbeat strong enough to be heard via a Doppler. (sidenote: I bought a Doppler on Ebay yesterday. It'll help calm my worrywart mind.)
Most congenital conditions appear before the end of week 10, meaning the most delicate and critical development period is over. You can breathe a sigh of relief over that, but...uh, I wouldn't go celebrate the milestone with a bathtub of gin, or anything.

You:

Might be starting to feel just the teensiest bit better, symptom-wise. Morning sickness "typically" peaks around week nine, but you have my permission to tell me to shove that "typical" business up my ass. (another sidenote: I never got sick. There were maybe two days that I felt like I was rocking on a boat out in sea, but nothing too bad. Yay!)

Just like I just flipped the double bird at my copy of Your Pregnancy Week by Week for telling me that I don't need maternity clothes yet. Look, my bump may be 75% methane gas at this point, but that doesn't mean my gasbaby should be made to suffer constricting waistbands.

New bras might be a good idea, as I recently discovered after seeing a photo of myself taken by someone else and oh look! Armpit boobs! (sorry men)

And I'm off to where the Romans roam! Token's running the marathon on Sunday... wish him luck! Ciao ciao!

9 weeks pregnant today!

2009-03-12T14:34:00.002+01:00

Here are the milestones little Baby B is making this week:

Your Baby
Big news! You may be able to hear the heartbeat this week with the help of a Doppler, an ultrasound device that captures the chug-a-chug sound of baby's heart. The first time you hear baby's heart, your own heart may skip a beat—it's the first real evidence that there's someone growing inside you! If you can't hear the heartbeat, no worries, your doc will just check again in a few weeks. Other amazing developments this week:

Baby is beginning to move, but you won't be able to feel anything for some time.

Baby is growing nipples and hair follicles (although there's still a chance you'll be giving birth to a baldy!) His pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and anus are all in place, ready to poop and pee a dozen times a day when he's born. Your baby's head is half the size of his body and his little chin is tucked into his chest. His tiny tail is beginning to shrink away, giving Junior a more human and less amphibious look.

Until now, all pre-babies look the same "down there." This week, however, your baby will begin to develop either male or female genitalia. In layman terms, your baby is beginning to develop her hoo-ha or his wee-wee. While you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby for several more weeks, the version you'll give birth to is being developed right now.

At this stage, your developing fetus is 1-inch in length, about the size of a martini olive (you remember martinis, don't you?) and weighs a mere 2 grams—a little less than a penny.

--------
My thoughts:
1.) "His tiny tail is beginning to shrink away" - ACK!!! That for some reason freaks.me.out. My baby has a TAIL?!?! Ew!!!!!

2.) Hmm... I wonder if he/she is morphing into a boy or girl? Time will tell. (and we WILL find out! There are clothes to be bought, people!).

3.) Aw, little Baby B is the size of an olive! How cute. Oh, and by the way, Token has been referring to it as Ziggy because I told him when we first found out that it was technically called a zygote until week 12 or something, and then it's called a fetus. I think I might have to change that nickname... I don't know, I just don't like Ziggy. I think Baby B works. Boring, yes, but cuter than, say Baby A... Baby B just flows better.

Tracie. Out.