Good Times in J-ville

This past weekend PJ and I drove up to Jacksonville to visit our great friends that we haven't seen in what feels like ages. Mark and Marlo came down from northern Georgia with their new bundle of joy, Martha. We all met at Seth and Traci's and had a GREAT time. We learned a lot from both sets of new parents, and we got to practice a few things too. The trip was of course too short, and we quickly had to say our goodbyes. But not before getting some great group pictures!

Our original crew of 6

And in less than a year, our crew has grown to 9! In just a few more months, we'll make it 10! CRAZY!!! What fun we are all going to have!

On a side note, here is a recent photo of our incredibly handsome chocolate lab, Kingston. He is almost 9 months old. It's hard to believe we've been his parents for 7 months already. He has been a good boy, and we are starting to leave him out of his crate while we leave the house for short periods of time (a trip to the grocery store, for example.) So far so good... but we will be taking it very slow. :) We love you, Kingston!

It's a...

BOY!!!

What an AMAZING doctor's appointment we had today. All of you mommies and daddies know how incredible it is to be able to look at all of your baby's body parts. From the lips, to the toes, to the kidneys and heart, spine, EVERYTHING! And we were so pleased to hear that it is all developing beautifully. :)

And on to the best part... we got to find out that our little bundle of joy is a boy! The technician was very cooperative and a bit surprised at our request. She actually said that in her 24 years of experience she had never had anyone ask for a onsie to be put in a gift bag. She also placed a picture of the goods in there. We are so happy and excited to start all of the fun shopping/planning/decorating that will consume lots of our time over the next 5 months. And we'd like to give a quick thanks to everyone that voted on our poll. It was really fun to check each day! It was a close race, and it looks like the majority of you guessed right. We're going to have a son!!!

20 weeks pregnant!

What is your prediction?

PJ and I are counting down the days until the big reveal. 5 more to go! Let's all pray that baby Kennedy cooperates and shows the goods. Instead of finding out the exciting news laying down while in the presence of an ultrasound tech, we are borrowing a VERY creative and fun idea from our dear friends Seth and Traci. We are bringing the adorable onsies pictured below to our appointment along with a gift bag. Rather than telling us what we are having, we will ask the technician to put the corresponding onsie into the gift bag along with tissue paper. Later that evening we plan on going out for our Valentine's dinner where we will open the gift and celebrate the news! Of course we will be ecstatic either way- but the curiosity is killing us and we just can't wait to know.

I've added a poll under the header, so what do you think? Blue or pink??? Vote now!

In Mourning

While the majority of our country was enjoying the Super Bowl with family and friends (including myself) the world lost a truly wonderful person. After her long battle with a very rare cancer, my Aunt Denise Campagnano passed away yesterday.

Aunt Denise discovered she was sick about 5 years ago. She fought long and hard- undergoing chemotherapy (which did not work) and 4 major surgeries between then and now to remove the cancerous tumors that kept returning and spreading throughout her body. These operations were not that far apart from each other- a year max, and yet the doctors would have to spend up to 13 hours removing the cancer! Undergoing these painful procedures was not for nothing... after recovering each time she regained energy and was able to spend more time with her family, including her 5 daughters and 5 grandchildren. She attended our wedding in the summer of 2008 and had so much fun! I am very grateful that she was a part of our special day, and I will always remember her and Paul dancing together. :)

We visited Connecticut this past Christmas and I was able to spend time with her. She was very weak and fraile- not the Aunt Denise I knew. She had recently had a blood transfusion so that she would have more energy for the holidays. Aunt Denise told me that she wouldn't have any more treatments, and it was obvious that the time was near.

She is in a better place now- up in heaven with Grandpa Camp I'm sure. My heart goes out her children- my cousins, and thier children in this time of sorrow. She was a wonderful person, full of life and love, and she will truly be missed.

Denise Campagnano 1949-2010

Home Alone

The good news is... PJ got a promotion at work a few weeks ago. We said "Welcome back!" to the company truck and gas card that we sadly had to say "goodbye" to last January due to the poor economy and budget cuts felt nationwide.

The bad news is... with the new job title comes new responsibilities including a week long conference in Baltimore, Maryland where headquarters is located. Boo! I'm sure he's learning lots of wonderful, important things in order to be a better, more effective employee but we already miss him here at the homestead!

So for the next four days it's just the three of us... baby, Kingston and I. Kingston is already showing signs of depression. Although- his droopy mood might be related to the nasty, raining weather we are experiencing today (non-stop!) preventing him from enjoying himself outside in the back yard. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

And speaking of baby... this is week 18 for us. Below is my most recent belly pic. I need to give a quick shout out to some gym friends of mine- thank you Michelle and Dana for informing me about the Belly Band. Silly me had no idea what one was and now that I have one, putting on my 'pre-pregnancy' work pants and jeans is not torture anymore!