Christmas Spirit

Jeff and I have had a lot of fun decorating the house for Christmas. This is our best tree to date and we love having it all lit up while we sit by the fire and listen to Christmas music.

A Little Behind on the Blogging

It has been a quick and crazy past two weeks, and I apologize for not updating the blog sooner. Everything with the baby and me is still going well. My belly is enormous, and I think Lily is really ready to get out of there. Her room is coming together and looking cute. We hung the mobile that Melissa and Ryan gave us, and her rug came in last week. Now we are just waiting on her dresser, which should be here right after Christmas. Grandma O'Rourke is putting the finishing touches on the room as our gift for Christmas. She purchased the curtain rods, curtains, and crib skirt for Little Lily. I can't wait to get it all up and see the finished product.

In other Mavros news, Jeff and I were models for OSF St. Joseph Hospital last week. Poor Jeff, neither of us had any idea what we were getting into when I agreed to do this. OSF owns a suite at the Coliseum and their suite contact, Mickey, called me and said he needed a favor. He said that they needed a pregnant woman for some photos, and it would be great if I could lend my belly and convince my husband to join me...otherwise they were willing to find me a substitute husband, which I've only considered once or twice before this anyway. So I called Jeff, and he agreed to do it and figured that it would be a good opportunity to receive a tour of the labor/delivery unit while we were there. I called Mickey to tell him we were in, and he said that he would have the tour set up for us when we got done with the photos. We arrived at St. Joe's around 3:00 p.m. and met Mickey and the photographers. As they started to describe what they wanted to capture, I realized that this was going to be more than just photos of Jeff and I sitting around talking to doctors. I guess I should have asked before I agreed. They had me get into a hospital gown and lay in bed while Jeff stood next to me and gazed lovingly into my eyes. It was very professional with lots of lights and even some props (flowers, cards, and bears by the window). They had us set up in the dorkiest poses. Jeff had to hold my hand and kiss it or put his hands on my belly as we both looked at my bump. My favorite was when they had him make an amazed looking face like the baby was kicking and he had just felt it. Jeff, as you know, is a great actor and pulled it off very well. I had a hard time because I couldn't stop laughing. We both felt so stupid. We finished up and got our tour, and we were out the door around 5:15 or so, just in time to run a few errands. Jeff and I reveled in our grocery shopping that night, as we knew it would one of the last times we could make a trip to the store without being mobbed for our autographs.

Last week I worked on club seat renewals (everyday all day), and I am still chugging away at those. Thankfully, many people have enjoyed their club seats and have decided to renew for next year, which means I have less to try to sell before the football season begins. At this point I am in my nesting phase at work. I am trying to get everything set up for when I am on maternity leave. As long as she doesn't come too early I think I will have plenty of time to have the club members settled and organized and train one of our other staff members on the ins and outs of premium seating.

I have my 34-week appointment tomorrow, and we have a few holiday parties to attend this week and Christmas stuff all weekend. Soon it will be January and time for Lily to meet everyone!

First Showering of Lilian

This past weekend we had our first baby shower up in Elgin. All Jeff's mom's favorite lady friends were there to shower Lily with wonderful gifts. It was so much fun to see all of them, and the shower was so beautiful and perfect. Lily received many cute things, including lots of darling outfits, a yellow cozy blanket made with love by grandma, an amazing rocking horse made by Uncle Dave, and a tea cup from Lily's great grandma Mavros. Lily's mom also received a fun gift from Aunt Dana. Dana found a chic maternity shirt that says, " Does this baby make me look fat?" It is super cute, and I can't wait to wear it. After the shower, grandma O'Rourke, great grandma Williams, Jeff and I returned to Bloomington where we unpacked everything and looked at it all over again. Jeff even put together the swing that grandma O'Rourke and Aunt Molly bought for her. We can't wait for her to be here and dress her up in all the cute clothes, read her the books she has received, and play with her. Not too much longer!!!

Today I had my 32-week check-up, and thankfully everything still looked great! I am still measuring right on my due date, and little Lily's heartbeat was loud and strong! Luckily, I am still feeling (for the most part) pretty well. I am definitely a lot bigger, which makes moving around and getting comfortable a little more difficult. Jeff has been great at hoisting me up off the couch and bed. Soon we will need a crane. Other than that there is not much to report on the baby front. She is still frequently wiggling and rolling around and sometimes kicking me a little too hard. I have two more appointments on the 2-week-between-appointment schedule, and then I will start going every week!

It is getting very exciting!!!

Silly Dogs

The perfect look for our little stinker

Buster's new do

Mohawk boy

Jay Sleeping on dad's lap as we drive up to Elgin for Thanksgiving

31 Weeks and Growing

Today marks Katie's 31st week of pregnancy. It also marks the first day of my new life. That's right, good people, Jeff changed his first diaper last night.....well, sort of. During our weekly birth class last night, our instructor asked me to get off my posterior (harder than you'd think right now, following a Thanksgiving weekend game of football), sit on the floor, and change the diaper of one "Pebbles the doll." I must say, while this exercise was undoubtedly easier (and cleaner) than the real thing will be, I received high marks from both of my teachers. Jennifer evaluated me on my technique, including minding the baby's head at all times during the change, while Katie weighed just how soon she might hand over all poopy diaper responsibilities. Had I known my efforts were to be met with such praise, I might have sandbagged just a bit to potentially delay my participation in this most illustrious component of child rearing. As it is, however, I'm sure to be in the thick of it when Lily arrives.

By the end of the night, Katie and I had been introduced to all things post-partum. From the good to the bad to the ugly, we now know that we can expect lots of fun even after the baby is delivered. Yikes! It's amazing the things people don't tell you! Nonetheless, we are even more excited now for our baby girl to get here. Katie is still feeling about as well as can be expected, and we are making sure she's eating right and drinking lots of water, staying somewhat active, and doing her prenatal exercises. We both know that she is going to experience increasing discomfort over these last two months, but so far she has taken everything in stride, and I'm very proud of her.

The last bit of information to share is the dogs' reaction to having Baby Pebbles in the house last night. As soon as Jennifer walked in with the doll in her car seat (to teach us about car seat safety), both Jay and Buster were immediately interested. They of course mobbed Jennifer as usual, their Shih Tzu guard dog training evident in the number of debilitating kisses they landed, but they soon forgot her and focused on the baby. In fact, after Jennifer got settled and the initial interest in our visitors had seemingly passed, Katie and I glanced over to find Buster, not sitting quietly as we had believed, but rather inside the car seat itself, sitting on Baby Pebbles' chest and sniffing her plastic face. Needless to say, we hope not to recreate this scene upon Lily's arrival at home. While we know the dogs will both be excited and somewhat threatened by the impending addition, we are hopeful that their curiosity will soon give way to love for their new little sister.

30 week check-up

This morning Jeff and I went in for my 30-week appointment and sonogram. Lily is getting bigger! The nurse said everything still looked great, and we got to see her little face again. She even blew us a kiss. She was positioned on her side with her head down, her bottom up, and her hands and feet all together on my side, which confirmed why I was having so much side pain last night and this morning. What a stinker. Everything looked to be functioning properly, and we were even able to see the lens of her eye and some hair on the back of her head. Technology is so amazing! The sonogram showed me to be right on target for my due date and projected her birth weight to be between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 pounds. After the sonogram we met with Dr. Thorton, and she said that I was looking good and that I seem to be in great health. We have been very lucky with how smooth this pregnancy has been to this point...knock on wood. This past weekend Jeff and I went to the Shirk Center and walked two miles so I could get some exercise. I am still going to pilates once a week and enjoying that, even though it is getting much harder. I bought a pilates ball on Saturday for exercise purposes both before and after the birth. The pilates ball will also come in handy during labor, allowing me to lie down on it so that Jeff can massage my back and anything else that is aching. I should mention that I already used it for that purpose last night, and it was great! I will try and keep all the massaging to a minimum prior to labor because I think Jeff will be doing plenty of that then. Jeff is still being a wonderful supporter, husband, and birthing coach. He is already practicing keeping me calm for labor by not freaking out now whenever I freak out about any wierd ache or pain. He is very good at reading me and my emotions ( a little too good at times), so I think that will really help during labor when I need him to take care of me and know what I need even if I am not able to communicate it. Time is still flying by, and we can't wait for her to get here! Jeff has so many plans for her, inlcuding things that we will not be able to do with her until she is quite a bit older, but it is fun to think about the future. She is going to be a total daddy's girl and she will have him wrapped around her finger. He is already totally in love with her, and she isn't even here yet!
We have some fun sonogram pictures to show to everyone, including the one of her blowing a kiss, which Jeff would rather not share because he swears he can make out a moustache and buck teeth. I guess we'll find out in two months!

29 Weeks

* 29 weeks of belly

Lily and I are still doing well and feeling pretty good. I have had some lower back pain, but nothing too debilitating. Lily still loves to kick and stretch and roll around all day long. She is getting better at going to bed when I go to sleep, but unfortunately, I don't think there is necessarily any correlation between her current schedule and the schedule she will keep outside of the womb. Jeff is now almost done with his basketball league and will soon start indoor soccer (aahhh!). Luckily, the season is fairly short, and he will only have games once a week. So hopefully, we will keep the injuries to a minimum. Work has been pretty busy with all the hockey games, concerts, and trying to get stuff in place before the baby comes. Thankfully, although I have been busy, I have not been too stressed out. At this point, all the clients I work with have the routine down and really require very little of my time at the events, which has been a nice change. Also the Game Time (food & beverage) staff has figured out their role, and they are handling everything really well. Knowing all of this makes it a lot easier for me to relax at the games and not wear myself out. It also is a relief to know that everything should work smoothly while I am at home with baby. I will probably work a little from home while I am on leave to help with all the Club Seat renewals, but hopefully they'll be mostly completed before I'm out of the office. Nonetheless, if I need to process renewals from home, I now have a nice new desk for when I am at home with little Lily. Just two and half months away now...and most likely time will keep flying by. Lots of little milestones to reach between now and then, what with the holiday season and all...and Monday is our 30-week sonogram. Look for news on Lily's 30-week development soon!

Jingle Bell Run/Walk

Lily's First Charity Experience. Of course we had to have brunch at our house beforehand. We needed to have strength for the long race and all.
ready for our ...walk.

Preggo girls finish! We weren't sure if we were going to make it, but we pulled through.
A littly chilly, but feeling good.
Relaxing inside after our awesome race!

Getting Ready for Lily

Not only are we getting the nursery ready for Lily's arrival we are also spiffing up the rest of the house with the addition of new furniture in the living room and the finishing of the basement. We purchased a new T.V. stand, coffee tables, cubby unit, and a desk for mom to work from home on when she is on maternity leave. Jeff also refinished the french doors that are original to the house and put those up between the dining room and living room. I will get some pics up of the basement later. Jeff and his dad worked really hard on tiling, painting, putting up the ceiling, and finishing off the bathroom down there. It looks great and it is so nice to have another full bathroom in the house!

Braxton Hicks

We had our second birthing class with Jennifer last night, and we learned about all the stages of labor and the different contractions that go along with them. She asked me if I had any Braxton Hicks contractions (a.k.a. false contractions) yet. I told her I didn't think so, but I wasn't sure because I didn't know what they felt like. She explained that during one of these contractions my tummy would get really hard and knotted--but not in a painful way--and then relax. It occurred to me that I actually had felt this before, but I had always believed it to be Lily just coming up to the surface of my belly. It is nice to know now what I am looking for and to have an idea of what the real contractions will feel like. So far the ones I have had don't hurt and mostly just take my breath away for a split second and make my belly feel really heavy. I even had one during our lesson last night and asked Jennifer to feel it to confirm. Pretty cool stuff! In addition to the stages of labor, we learned about different coping techniques, including massage, focusing, and visualization. After Jeff found a massage technique he was comfortable with, we moved on to thinking about helping me cope, too (just kidding)! Jennifer tried to illustrate for Jeff all the possible moods and emotions I may or may not have throughout the labor process, which ended up being pretty humorous. She said that some women are loud and hate their husbands and don't want to be touched, while others are weepy and emotional, and some are a mixture of everything rolled into a rollercoaster of emotions. While Jeff and I can see me reacting in any and all of those ways, it will be very interesting to see how I really handle the whole thing. I hope I can surprise him and hold it together and be really strong, but neither of us are holding are breath for that one. Thanks goodness we learned how I can help Jeff cope!

Birthing Class the Natural Way

Last night Jeff and I had our first birthing class experience with our very funny and experienced instructor, Jennifer Maloy. Jennifer is a private instructor who will be coming to our house once a week for six sessions to teach us about the exciting endeavor of birthing a child the natural way. She is a licensed instructor with major first hand experience. She has birthed 4 children of her own and experienced labor in all different forms. With her first child, she did it the "all American way," as she describes it...with an epidural. Her second child was a natural birth, which she prepared for with yoga and lots of exercise. Her final two children were delivered safely in the comfort of her own home! Our first session was an introduction that focused on healthy eating, specific exercises that she wants me to do each day, and terms and definitions. We really liked how honest yet comforting and excited she is about labor. It was so nice to have her all to ourselves so that we could ask lots of questions and really find out what we wanted to know. Doctors are so into their routine sometimes that they don't always stop to explain things and don't realize that you, as the patient, don't know what is going on. So having Jennifer a phone call away is very reassuring. In our future sessions we will continue to learn about the labor process, obviously, but she will also work with us on massage, breathing, emotional and mental satibility, visualizations, drug options in case I do decide I want them, and c-sections. I know that there is really no way to be prepared for the pain that will come with labor, but I know that if I stick to her regimen and have great coaching support from Jeff, I will try my best to get through it. The best way she could describe labor for me was in terms of track...or a marathon. In the beginning, there is excitement and adrenalin keeping you going and pushing you through. Then you move to endurance and strength. After that you are tired and begin to lose the feeling in your legs (it is at this point that people give up if they aren't mentally prepared). However, if you have heart and mental strength you can make it to the finish line. So, although I cannot visualize labor like I did my races prior to those events, I hope that if I am mentally strong and able to keep my cool, I will be able to a make it to the finish line on heart alone.

26 Weeks

Look at that Belly!
Not prepared for this photo to be taken.
Overprepared for this photo to be shot!
Can you tell I am not too happy with Jeff in this picture?

Happy with Jeff again. I am sure he said something funny here.

Making Progress

I had my 26-week appointment today, and everything is still looking good. I am measuring right on schedule and Lily's heart rate was fine. Each week I have been getting significantly bigger, and last Thursday I had at least 4 people make a comment about how big I am and questioned whether I am having twins. I became a little worried that this could indeed be the case, seeing as my mom is a triplet, Lily kicks all the time from several angles at once, and the size of my belly really has increased a lot in the past 3 weeks. Nonetheless, Dr. Thorton has assured me that 1) the nurses would not have missed a second little one on the 20-week sonogram, and 2) I really am not that big (I would be measuring about 30 weeks now instead of 26 if I did have twins). Thank goodness! Twins would be fun, but I don't think we're prepared for that right now.

I have been super busy with the start of the hockey season, and my weekends are now pretty jam-packed with concerts and games. Therefore, last week Jeff and I decided to take a day off from work and go up to Oakbrook to register for baby showers. We had a really great day going to Pottery Barn Kids and Babies 'R' Us. Everything at PBK was so cute, making it hard not to register for the entire store. We did find a bumper for her crib that was on sale for $20, and we decided to buy it and bring it home. Luckily, it looks perfect! Shopping at Pottery Barn Kids was all about the accessories and fun stuff, but Babies 'R' Us was a different story. When we got to Babies 'R' Us, we were greeted right away and given a list and a scanner to start doing some major registering. The store was set-up so nicely (the registry list was color-coded and corresponded to different departments within the store), it was very easy to navigate. We started at bottles and diapers and worked our way around the perimeter of the store until we ended up in the clothing section. Jeff and I had our own list that we had made after reading our Baby Bargains book, but having both our list and the store's did not really relieve the overwhelming feeling that I started to get when I saw all the different brands, gadgets, and accessories. Looking at the large wall of bottles, I started to feel very unprepared and worried about being a parent. As we moved on to the bath section and butt cream area, I felt a little worse. We couldn't decide which diaper rash cream to get and that's when I told Jeff how I was feeling. Before that moment I felt like "Hey, I can handle this. I have babysat before and have younger siblings and cousins. I can take care of a baby." Somehow, knee-deep in butt creams, that feeling changed, and luckily Jeff was there to calm my worries. As we were looking at the first aid kits, medicines, cotton balls, rash creams and humidifiers, he soothed my worries by saying, "Katie, we're humans too, and we don't come with a manual. When we get a rash or get sick we go to the store and buy something for it. We don't have to have everything on hand for the baby. We'll be fine." From that moment on, I totally relaxed and figured if we didn't register for enough or for the right things we could always buy them later. No big deal. The pressure was off, and we had a good time once we got past that bottle, medicine, and butt cream area!

Jay and Buster still seem to be oblivious to the change that is about to take place in all our lives. Buster still tries to leap across my big belly and I have to catch him in mid-air before he touches down. The one time he did hit my belly, Lily kicked right back. Jay may have some idea that something is going on because he doesn't seem to like it when we are in the nursery and begs to be held whenever we go in there. We try to tell the dogs that they are going to have a little sister soon, but unfortunately their English is limited to "hungry," "go out," "upstairs," "treat" and the like. Luckily, both dogs do love kids and are very good with them. Hopefully, they won't be too jealous and will love her as much as we do.

I go back to the Doctor in a month, and at that time we will have our 30-week sonogram. Yeah, we get to see her again! It's not too long now, and we can't wait to finally hold her...and pass her around to all of you.

* The picture above is of Jeff wearing the head of "Chip," our hockey mascot. Chip is the mascot for the Bloomington PrairieThunder and happens to be a Buffalo. Buffalo Chip is sponsored by Kitchen Cooked Chips. Coincidentally, there are still great tickets available for all PrairieThunder home games this year, so come on down and bring the kids!

Lily's Room

Picture of the lily that bloomed in our yard

All her pink outfits

Dad loves to practice pushing her in the stroller

Daybed with new pink comforter

Crib with little friend hanging on

23 Weeks

Belly at 23 weeks. As you can see from my previous picture to this one my belly button has now popped out. I am feeling really good right now and little Lily is still kicking away. Every night she does some sort of acrobatics in my belly that Jeff gets to feel. As soon as he starts talking the show begins as he places his hands on my stomach and I get pummeled from the inside. Then in the mornings I wake up to a hard knot of baby sticking out of one side of my belly. I love putting my hands on her when she does this because I can really feel her moving and swishing around. I can't wait for the day that we see a hand or foot sticking out!

Jeff and I are making progress on Lily's room with the recent addition of her crib, stroller, and new comforter for the daybed that will stay in the nursery. We have a had a lot of fun planning for all the things we need to get for her room before she gets here. We have yet to pick out bedding that we love and will possibly have it made. We were picturing a toile fabric for the bumper and actually found the perfect pink toile at the fabric store the other day. So we are playing around with the idea that we may just have the bumper and bed skirt made. How spoiled is this child already? Jeff will probably order the dresser in a couple of weeks and we will start registering soon. Being the super organized couple that we are, we of course already have a list and have a had a list for a long time now of the different items that she will need. Hockey season starts next week and I will start to get really busy with work so we plan to try and register this weekend if we aren't too tired from all the I.W.U. homecoming festivities.

You may have noticed that I have been referring to the her as Lily still. We still like this name the best, but there is a chance that it will change. The response to the name so far has been very positive and everyone seems to be referring to her as Lily already. Lily has received a plethora of gifts from her loving family already. Her favorite aunt on the Mavros side has given her a darling outfit with matching hat, onesies, and blanket. While her other favorite aunt, Molly, is weaving her a pale pink blanket and given her her first ornament. Both Grandmas are doing there best to spoil her with clothes, stuffed animals, and anything cute that they come across. She is going to be a very loved and spoiled daughter, niece, and grandchild!

Pink Pink Pink

Now that we know we are having a little girl, we have started to plan for everything that is girlish and pink, including her name. We've decided to keep the nursery wall color as is (a light yellow) and search for nursery bedding that is pink. This search started the day we found out the gender and lasted for two hours on the Internet that night. Unfortunately, our little one has picky parents, and we just couldn't find bedding that we absolutely loved...at least, bedding that wasn't super expensive. It was so cute how Jeff just could not find the right pattern for her room. Nothing was quite right. Everything he looked at was either too busy, the wrong pink, too much pink, or cheap looking. She won't be spoiled, will she? We also went to buy her her first outfit, but once again we could not find the perfect thing so we gave up, figuring that it wouldn't be too long before her little room was full of clothes and toys and anything else she could ever want.

We have also narrowed our name pool down to three names. Our favorite right now is Lily Grace. We mostly love this name simply because we think it's cute, but lilies are also Jeff's favorite flower, and we have them planted all over our yard. After calling her Lily for the last couple days, we awoke to a sign that this should probably be her name when we saw that a large lily had bloomed out of season in our backyard. It has to be a sign! Right? Our other favorites are Grace Elizabeth and Maggie Grace. Lily likes to kick for Jeff when he talks at night, so he decided to test the names out on her the other night. She kicked like crazy for Grace, but the problem is we don't know if that means that she loves it or hates it. It's so weird how she always kicks the most for Jeff. Whenever he is sitting next to me and talking she will wake up and start kicking. Hard! I don't know if it is just a coincidence or if she really does know and like the sound of his voice or not, but she will not kick for anyone else. My mom's best friend Liz has been waiting--poised at my belly for weeks--to feel just one kick, and she has yet to feel one. This baby is a stinker. And for now she is Lily...and this may or may not change, depending upon whether we can figure out if all the kicking means she likes the name or not.

It's a....

Today Jeff and I went in for our 20 week sonogram and to find out the gender of the baby. I woke up at 4 am because I was so excited and couldn't wait for our 8 am appointment. I woke Jeff up as well...he wasn't quite as excited. As we were getting dressed and ready to leave, we both had mixed emotions on whether we wanted to know the gender anymore. We have been so set on it the entire pregnancy, but when it came time we both felt nervous and anxious all at once. We arrived at the doctor's office before it even opened and sat in the waiting room for a good 15 minutes before they called us back. I brought a glass of Mt. Dew with me so we could make sure the baby was up and moving when it came time for the big moment. They finally called us back at 8:15 am, and right away the nurse found the heart and told us that the heart was so perfect it could be in a book. That was great news to hear! Then, as our baby was being so cooperative, she looked at the brain and the spine and the other organs. Everything was in place and working properly. It was amazing to see all the parts of our little baby! We even got a great picture of the profile of the face. Then, after identifying all of the body parts for us, the nurse turned and asked the big question..."Do you wanna know?" We both hesitated momentarily, and she took the opportunity to share her personal thoughts on the matter. "You don't want to know....it's your first, let it be a surprise, " she said. We had been waiting a long time to know, however, and this seemed to be all the push we needed. We both answered that yes, we wanted to know the gender, and the nurse proceeded to tell us that we'd be having a healthy baby girl! Jeff and I are both so excited and happy. The news of the baby's good health was all we needed to hear, and learning it's a girl was just a bonus to the day.

1st time pregnancy worries

So far, I have been pretty calm about all the aches, pains, twitches, and sick feelings I have experienced during pregnancy. All the changes are weird and make me worry a little, but I usually get over it pretty fast by reading in my books about the different symptoms or the symptoms pass after a short while and I know that it is just part of pregnancy. Today, however, was my first scary experience that led to a call into Dr. Thorton's office. I was sitting in our staff meeting and all of sudden I started to feel dizzy and my vision and hearing became blurry. I knew right away that I was about to pass out so I excused myself from the meeting and went to my office where I sat down and put my feet up. I then broke out in a terrible sweat. Soon it passed and I felt a little better, but a little concerned as well. With no book at arms reach to tell me whether this incident was normal, I decided to call a nurse to make sure it was not anything to worry about. Luckily, the nurse told me that I just had not eaten enough and that my baby is growing so much right now I need to make sure I am eating more and more often. It was a hectic morning and all I had eaten was an English muffin with peanut butter, which I figured would tide me over until I found something more substantial, but apparently it did not. I have learned my lesson and will be sure to make more for breakfast every morning.

* belly at 19 weeks

Backstage at the Show

This picture is from the Pat Benatar concert last night. I got to work my first meet and greet with the performer and this is a picture of My boss Mike, Jane our box office manager, Pat Benatar, Shannon our ops manager, Melissa and Me (can't even tell I'm pregnant). Pat Benatar and her husband Neil did a meet and greet before the show and were very nice and cool people. Their concert was a great and successful show as well. I only made it through 4 of her songs before I needed to go home and go to bed since I had been at work since 8:30AM. However, the highlight of my night was meeting her and listening to her sound check earlier in the day. She still ROCKS!

Vegas Baby!

Jeff, baby, and I just returned from our first trip to Las Vegas. We really had no idea what we would think of it since we are not huge gamblers, we wouldn't be up late for the night life, and I am preggo. However, we were more than pleasantly surprised at all Vegas had to offer. I am pretty sure anyone could have a great time there. We stayed at the Venetian, which was super posh and beautiful! We felt like total high rollers. In the morning we would sit by the pool, where hotel staff would pass out cucumbers for swollen eyes ( Jeff and I did not require them, since we received plenty of sleep in the city that never sleeps). Then at night, upon returning to our large suite (complete with sunken living room), we would enter a room full of music, low lighting, and even a full bucket of ice. Now that is what I call service! Beyond our wonderful hotel, we enjoyed walking the strip and visiting all the different hotels, where we would play the nickel slots. I won $30.00 on my first try! By the end of the week we were pushing our luck and playing the dollar slots where I got up to $150.00 and decided to let it ride. Oh, I let it ride... all the way to $0. Oh well, we had fun. We also saw the Cirque show "Mystere" and loved it. I think when we go back again we will definitely see at least two shows. All in all, we had a great time and plan to go back again soon!

The baby had a great time on the trip, as well. He/she was always kicking and bumping around, especially on the plane rides. The movements are getting stronger everyday, and now I even notice hard spots on my belly when the baby is sitting in different positions. At this point, the baby is still pretty small ( around 5 1/2 inches long), but is packing a lot of punch. I am nervous to see how active it is and how painful the movements will be when the baby gets bigger. It is pretty emotional and fun having the baby move around in there. I usually say "Hi, baby" or "the baby is awake" whenever I feel movements. I am definitely very attached.

I had my 18 week check-up on Monday, and Dr. Thorton said the baby and I are both doing great! I have gained 10 pounds since my last check-up, and luckily it has all been mostly in my tummy. Jeff and I went to Old Navy last night and bought a couple pairs of pants and a jacket and picked out some more things for my birthday. They have pretty cute stuff and all at good prices. I am looking forward to having some more things to wear soon. I feel like I wear the same things to work all the time. Well, I think that is all we have as far as updates go for right now. More to come...

First time dad got kicked

Well friends, I hate to say it. Katie was right again.

The baby is kicking. Hard. Our Leonard appears to be quite the active little one, as his or her kicks have become so strong that even I was able to feel the latest series of movements and goings on in the womb. Following breakfast on Saturday morning, Katie was startled at the strength of the kicks she was feeling, and she demanded that I place my hand on her belly yet again. Skeptical as I was, I did as I was told (I'm getting better at that), and, to my surprise, I really did feel a kick. I know what you're thinking....but this was the real deal. A few weeks earlier than expected, our child is kicking. It felt like someone had run his or her thumb across my palm, softly. Being an expert on gas at this point, I can safely rule that possibility out, and I am quite certain that what I felt was a legitimate kick. But don't worry...we've told him or her that there will be no headers until at least age three.

Kicks, bubbles, and flutters

Last week was the first time I thought I felt legitimate baby kicks. Jeff was sure it was gas. I am sticking by my belief that it was kicks, and I am noticing the same feelings more and more these days. Anytime I have a little sugar or a sip of some caffeine I feel little bumps against my tummy. Today I had Schooners for lunch, which is pretty spicy, and now as I am writing this I am feeling little kicks down there. I hope the baby doesn't have heartburn like I do! I make Jeff put his hand on my belly constantly because I really want him to feel those kicks, but he either misses them or gets tired and takes his hand off. He keeps reminding me that we have many more months for him to feel movement, and if we are going to get anything done around the house he is going to need both hands to do so. I try to induce the kicks whenever possible with a sip of Jeff's Mountain Dew or a couple Skittles and sometimes I even try to wish them to happen. Not surprisingly my unborn baby is already stubborn like his or her father and refuses to perform on command. Now don't get me wrong, my husband is definitely an "enjoys the lime light type of guy," but he can be stubborn about other things in life. So please don't take that statement the wrong way because Jeff loves to perform, only his performances come without any command or demand. Jeff only performs when his wife wishes he wouldn't, like in the middle of Gap or WalMart or any other public place that has music playing. Although Jeff has yet to feel any kicks, he is hoping we have a little soccer player on our hands. In light of Jeff's recent soccer injuries, the rest of us would prefer that all the kicking relates to our baby being a fast runner so that he or she can compete in a less dangerous sport.

Who's Your Daddy?

Big Papi here. Thanks to you, blog users, for your interest in our unborn child. We are very excited about the impending addition to the family, and we are currently about four weeks away from finding out the gender of the newest Mavros. Stay tuned to the blog for the latest in doctor visits, Baby's health, Katie's health, Jeff's annoying habits that are driving Katie crazy, and maybe some stuff about Buster. Or at least for the newest news on Baby Mavros (or Leonard, as Katie has taken to calling him or her). We're so sure that you'll like these updates about Leonard that we're offering free blog service at blogger.com to anyone who doesn't. So check back in on Leonard every so often. You'll be glad you did. And we'll see you on January 30.

First Gifts

Baby Mavros has already received his or her first gifts from the grandparents. Mimi, as my mother has decided she would like to be called, gave the baby a very cute wall hanging for the nursery. Grandma Mavros picked up some great Hilton Head items on her last trip. She purchased a children's book from a local author and a Salty Dog bucket hat that will be perfect for the little one's first trip to the beach.

This past weekend, Jeff and I purchased a very informative and much-needed book that Chris and Beni recommended to help us figure out what we will need to buy before the baby arrives. The book is called "Baby Bargains" by Alan and Denise Fields, and, as the title implies, it gives information on deals to be found on the many purchases that we will be making in the near future. In addition, the book highlights all the best brands and safety ratings, as well as tips on just what purchases are unnecessary. The authors give great advice on where to find the best brands at a discount. We will try our best not to go overboard with frivolous items, but seeing as this is our first baby, I think the grandparents and I--and potentially some others--may have a hard time not wanting to get every cute thing in sight. Luckily and unluckily, I have a husband that will probably keep me from going way overboard, but hopefully he will let me go just a little crazy ( I think I will being doing that with or without his consent, but we will let him try).

Pilates

I started back at Pilates today and it was great! It felt so good to be back and it made me realize how much I missed it. Kathy, my instructor, is so knowledgeable and is going to help me do pilates through my whole pregnancy. Right now she has a lady coming in that is 7 months pregnant. I can't imagine doing pilates with a big belly, but apparently it can be done. I am feeling really good these days and have had very little morning/afternoon/or night sickness. I had my 14 week appointment on Monday and the Dr. said everything looks great and the baby's heartrate was perfect. In September we get to go in for our sonogram to find out the gender of the baby and we can't wait! Jeff will be painting the nursery two days later no doubt. The whole thing gets a little more exciting each day. It seems like it has gone by pretty fast so far (knock on wood) and now that I am feeling well I am really starting to enjoy being pregnant. It is fun to have my belly get bigger and it is one of the only times in your life, besides when you are a baby, that being chubby is cute. So I will enjoy it while it lasts for sure. So far I haven't had too many food cravings. I did have Jeff go and get me french onion dip and ruffles chips last night and I had a 8:00PM craving for La Bamba the other night as well, but I really haven't had too many weird or interesting cravings. I am sure I will soon! At this point, our sleeping arrangement is the only thing that has been making me uncomfortable. Jeff and I switched sides of the bed so I could lie on my left side (the side you are supposed to sleep on when preggo) and face out of the bed b/c I felt claustrophobic facing in on my left side. Anyway, it is really weird for both of us to be sleeping on the opposite side and has taken some time to get used to. However, I did purchase a body pillow this past weekend and that has help. Buster for some reason has taken a weird liking to the body pillow and has made that his spot on the bed when he gets up there, which looks absolutely silly and is amusing per Buster's usual.

August is going to be a busy month for us with our wedding anniversary on the 7th, Jeff's 30th b-day on the 10th, soccer tournament the 11-13th, American idol concert on the 20th, and Vegas on the 23rd-26th. Having so much to do this month will hopefully make it go by quickly and get us closer to our sonogram date in September. We will be sure to update you on anything that comes up between now and then as far as the baby goes, but for right now we are going to enjoy some end of the summer fun!

* Belly at 14 weeks

Our Special Announcement

Jeff and I are so excited because we are going to be welcoming our first little one into the family at the end of January! I am at the end of my 13th week of pregnancy and so far everything has been going pretty well. I have learned a lot in the last couple months about being pregnant that I was not aware of before getting into all this :) First, I found that morning sickness lasts pretty much all day long. Second, I found that my belly is not the only place where changes would be happening in my body. My whole body feels tired and weak sometimes and I am already using the rubberband method to buckle my pants b/c my hips and waist are expanding. Now that I am not getting sick as often I am really starting to get and have the energy to be excited. We are going to find out the gender of the little one at the end of August and can't wait! I am sure Jeff will be painting the nursery the next day. I will try to keep this updated so you can track baby mavros's progress.

* belly at 12 weeks