Pleasantly Prego

I am happy to report (finally) my visit today to my new OB!
It had been almost 2 months since my last appt. and baby J was getting restless for some good pre-natal care! Nothing like moving and changing health coverage to throw off one's regularly scheduled visits...

Thankfully, I have great reports. Baby J is doing wonderfully and appears to be healthy and hanging out happily for the time being. My body is showing no signs of labor... yet. ;) The doc predicts I will go into labor right when GG takes the bar just because things seem to work out that way! lol. Let's hope she's wrong. If she's right, though, I am confident all will go smoothly and be blessed. Such a situation would be ripe for His Mighty Hand.

I am measuring on target and J's heartbeat is in the 130's. My blood pressure is holding steady and all seems to be well. Let's just pray that continues! I now have appointments every week from here on out... Lucky for you to get more regular updates. ;) (whether you like 'em or not!)

God bless you on this Tuesday. It's Taco Tuesday in Gasperini-Ville.
Why don't you bring the fam on over for supper? We'd be over the moon to have you.

Heartwarming

For those of you who also track the Alley Family, you know what a special bunch they are, which is why it was such a treat for us to spend the morning with them today...

There are such deep roots there--GG and Will were high school best buds and shared countless football memories and hang time, GG served as Will's best man in their April 2002 wedding, and Will was a groomsman in our wedding May of the same year (which also happens to be the last time we all saw one another!)  The friendship has now spanned many years, miles, and babies (they have 2 sweet ones) with contact remaining through phone and email!  What a blessing it was to finally lay eyes on one another this morning (wives and kids sans hubbies!)  The boys and I had a great time seeing them--we could have surely eaten up even more hours before having to say goodbye! Hopefully the next visit won't be too far removed because we now live closer to both of their families! Yahoo!!

This last shot captured an oh-so-funny-and-frightening-all-at-the-same-time moment.  I picked up baby O for a quick snuggle before realizing that my actions had made T-baby quite upset.  "No Mommy.  No baby!" was heard through his tears...  Oh boy!  Only after I handed off O and picked up T did he calm down.  And little does he know of the future permanent reality of that scenario!  Please pray for him!!  He is my biggest concern with the upcoming birth of Baby J!  Any moms out there with tips for helping young ones transition to new siblings, I'd appreciate them.  Thanks!!

Hope your week has gotten off to a fantastic start...  Blessings!

Ripe for the Picking

We are truly revived after breathing some cooler mountain air and soaking up some much-needed showers after an overnight "out west"...  Thanks to Mimi and Papa for hosting us over a wonderful celebration of the fourth.  Sigh.

Friday evening included a beautiful bbq at the neighborhood clubhouse.  Here's my weekly promised prego shot (check out my ever-ripe belly!) along with a couple pics of the boys enjoying some croquet and badminton.  Too cute!  They loved the concept of a racquet sport and enjoyed trying to get the birdie off of their racquets.  Maybe tennis in our future?  We'll see.  Nonetheless, as you can see, the view of the mountains was gorgeous, the food was excellent, and company, warm and loving (as always).

 

More fun was to be had today upon a joyful visit to the peach orchard.  I have to say, one of my most favorite things to do in the world is to go fruit picking.  I was in heaven!  Everyone had a great time--there was just enough of a breeze to keep the bugs at bay and all of us relatively cool.  And who can beat finishing the journey with fresh peach milkshakes?  Excellent.  The boys loved it all and couldn't get enough of everything.  And can I say how good a freshly picked peach is?  M and I shared one for lunch and just about fell over, it was so tasty!  

Nothing like a blessed weekend to gear us up for this final stretch of our respective "races".  GG has one week left of bar classes followed by two weeks of independent prep before the Virginia Bar.  Go GG!!  I have 4 weeks remaining until "J Day", or baby J's due date.  We'll see if I'll make it that long.  I would so appreciate your prayers for his remaining time in the womb, health, and safe delivery.  Like all new moms, I'm beginning to succumb to worries about his well-being.  Lord, give us health and peace!

Thanks for tracking with us and hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. 

As always, it's great to be back in touch.  

Happy Lord's Day tomorrow and God bless.

Happy 4th!

Gasperini-Ville is taking an western VA holiday siesta...

Cheers to sparklers and glittery fireworks, brats and potato salad, picnic blankets and good times with family! Hope you're enjoying a great one. God bless!

Check your motherly expectations at the door.

Alternative Title: The Almost Splash Park

Today we ventured south of the river to enjoy an outdoor mall that has a fountain splash park within...  Such a great way to get moms and families out to enjoy the water (and the shopping! :)  Last year, we went to the same place with lackluster results--M wouldn't go anywhere near the water!  So, one year later, I had high hopes for his and T-baby's greater enjoyment.  

Sadly, the results were not much better.  Both boys lingered off to the side for much of our time there, only later wandering closer because of some Panera cups (for catching water) we brought from lunch.  Woe to a mother's expectations!!

While I know it was a simple outing with simple hopes, I had expectations nonetheless.  And I was disappointed.  Just chalk it up to another lesson learned in motherhood: sometimes my kids are not going to act/behave/enjoy things the way I hope they will.  Take, for instance, last summer's trip to the beach and M's sheer terror of the merry-go-round (and any other ride at the boardwalk carnival.)  I was shocked and so disappointed with the outcome.  How could my child be the scaredy-cat?  I jumped off the high dive in kindergarten and rode the Demon Drop later that summer!!  How could the offspring of such a whirling dirvish mother end up so timid?  Expectations, expectations...

And yet I am forced to swallow my pride, love my precious boys in all their eccentricities and individualities, and move on-- the true essence of motherhood.  By unconditionally loving my children, I am called upon to do just that--love them in every and any condition and essentially, without condition.  They are my boys and they are perfect as is.

No doubt these expectations, hopes, disappointments, and failures will surface again.  School performance, college acceptances, life choices...  

Yes, they are all waiting to be celebrated...  

No matter what the outcome.

Summer Beauty

Don't these flowers invoke sheer happiness?

There's just something about hydrangea in bloom, 

especially when bunched together in such a happy cluster.

I get a smile on my face each time I round the corner to head into the kitchen.

Great things.

Our kind neighbor stopped by with the cuttings this afternoon...  

God bless her!  God bless you!

The Brother Effect

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My poor baby!  lol.  

God bless!