Random Pics

It has been a very mild winter. We've only had 2 snows and they barely made it to the foot of the mountain. However, about 2 weeks ago when we had our last snow, we took Skyla up the mountain (20 min) to the ski resort to run around in the snow a little. She hasn't really seen snow since she was a puppy. We took these pictures. As you can tell by Mike's lack of a jacket, it still gets up to about the mid- high 40s during the day. We walked briskly. :)

I've also included a couple of pictures of me at 33 weeks (taken Christmas Eve). I look pretty normal from the back right? And then I turn around...

Mom keeps bugging me about doing a blog of the nursery, but I just don't feel that it's finished enough to reveal it. We still need a couple pieces of furniture, so I'm not sure that I've completely settled on a permanent layout for the room. Since the walls here are concrete, hanging things is quite an issue and would leave a hideous mark on the newly painted wall if I decided to move something. So the room still looks fairly naked. I'm having baby shower on the 13th so hopefully we'll be able to put the finishing touches on the nursery and do a blog!

Christmas '06

On the 9th we had both a church Christmas party to attend and a squadron Christmas party. Our church is pretty small, both in number, and in space so we had the Christmas party in the "Fellowship Hall" which is really the basement of the complex we meet in. However, it was so fabulous. The ladies that put all the food and decorations together really out did themselves. It couldn't have been more fancy. Each table was decorated a little differently. This was our table--with a red and gold theme and the desert table is in the back. We had a really good time and it was hard to leave, but we had to get to the other party. Here is the website for the other pictures from the party if you're interested. :) Just go to the website and hit "View Slideshow". http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=c9dwl7n.8dta72ej&Uy=7h4d2g&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=726371980423_892622988107

These are pictures from the squadron Christmas party. It was at Club Bella Vista (the enlisted and officer's club on base). Mike was randomly selected to participate in a scavenger hunt. He and 11 other people had to find various items in the crowd (ie a hairpin, and California driver's license, etc.). I was sitting right up front so I could be close in case he needed anything I had in my purse, so when they made them go find someone to do the moonwalk, he grabbed me! I was not excited. He was hoping that even if I sucked at it, I would get sympathy points for being pregnant. Reluctantly, I did do what I'm sure was an embarrassingly inaccurate moonwalk and Mike proceeded to the next level. He got 3rd place.

The pictures are of my friend Stephanie and me and the group picture is me with the some of the squadron ladies. What a wild and crazy group! The other picture are of Mike and some of his work buddies.

They had a professional photographer there to take posed pictures and since I had been wanting Christmas/belly pictures professionally done, I used my moonwalk leverage. I said he owed me and he couldn't really argue. So we had them done, and they turned out GREAT!

Retreat

First, I wanted to include a picture of the sunset I took from the baby's room. I know Texas sunsets are just as good, but I was really happy the picture turned out so well.

In November, I attended a women's retreat in Albano Terme (about 2 hours south west of us). Although it was pretty much in the city, you would never have known it. Nestled against the side of a hill (in the Eugean hills), you never hear the hustle of the city. This area used to have lots of volcanic activity so now there are a countless number of spas that offer all kinds of mineral cures and treatments.
The hotel where we stayed was built from 1428-1495. It was originally a monastery. The well in the courtyard is made from solid piece of marble and was finished in 1589. We enjoyed wonderful 4-course Italian meals. I enjoyed the food not only because it was good, but because I was able to try a lot of different things. When we go out to eat, I rarely experiment with new dishes because I don't want to pay for something I don't know whether I'll like or not. And God knows I can never share anything with my picky husband. All he eats is pizza. :) So it was nice to be able to try a BUNCH of new food.

This is a "couch" and mirror near the reception desk inside the hotel/monastery. Hopefully you can tell how big it is in the picture where I am lying on it.


They had 2 giant cages that housed many kinds of birds and trillions of rabbits. There were also 2 peacocks running around loose.

This is the outside of the monastery. There was a chapel both inside and a sanctuary right next door.

Here is the website for the hotel if any of you want to check it out. It has an arial shot of the place which is kinda cool. http://www.termesanmarco.it/index_en.php

I am a little over 28 weeks.

Mike and I attended the baptism of Canaan Matthew Dowling this weekend. The Dowlings are our friends and fellow Cavassans (we all live in Cavasso Nuovo). We were happy to attend to show our love and support, but it was also a really neat experience for us. The service was in Cavasso's church here in town. We should have made the 10 minute walk, but since we were running a little late, we drove. However, when we made the walk up the hill to the church from where we parked, I realized that that hike alone would be sufficient as my exercise for the day.
The service was in Italian. Somehow, a child's Catholic baptism seems more authentic if it takes place in Italy, in a small-town church, and in Italian. Kind of like if one were to be baptized in the Jordan river. I'm well aware that there's no fundamental differences, but I just think there's just something special about it. I know, I'm ridiculous.
The first picture is Canaan with Ron and Dorit. Dorit is our (Allison and Dowling) realator and one of our first friends in Italy.
Next is the Priest that performed the ceremony next to the baptismal. Dowling family (Jerry, Shelly, McKenna, Jack, Quinton, and Canann) and the Godmother (Barbara--their Italian babysitter and friend) and her family.
Anyway, we were happy to take part and happy to eat all the great food at the Dowlings afterward.
This is a picture of me and an update on belly status. I know it's dark, but I hope you can also appreciate the bright yellow fall foliage behind me. Fall has officially arrived in Cavasso.

Happy Halloween!

Baby Shower!

We were so blessed by the overwhelming amount of love and support we received at the shower! We are so grateful to have a home church family and so many faithful friends that are celebrating the arrival of our first child with us.
At the very top are all of the wonderful ladies that volunteered to help with the event. (Sorry Laney, the photographer didn't tell me they couldn't see you :(.)
On the top right is me and proud Grandma.
Then you'll see hostesses, Laney, Kimberly and Jennifer in various states of preparation.
I was excited to have Mike's Aunt Carma make the drive all the way from New Braunfels.
And of course, what's a baby shower, with out presents? The big picture was taken as I opened Mike's favorite gift. I Houston Astros (Bagwell) outfit. I'm afraid our son will be born into a family of hard-core Astros fans. (Not that that's a bad thing...)
Barbara Wolfe was kind enough to involve my Mom with an "I love Grandma" bib. Too cute.
We also had 2 trash helpers: our niece Armani and Tobi Gillespie pictured here with the yellow ribbon on her head.
I'm afraid the 13+ hour flight back and forth was very comfortable, but the trip was so worth it. It was great to see everyone (after almost a year of living overseas), and I can't wait to come home this summer so all of you can meet our son. :)

I had my ultrasound today. This is me before I went into the exam room. I bought a girl outfit and a boy outfit--the first baby clothes I've purchased. I was so nervous (can you tell?).

The technician took tons of pictures of the baby and pointed out crucial organs. In one shot it was giving us a big "thumbs up" sign. I just hope it doesn't get too comfortable in there. It's got to move out in about 4 1/2 months. The picture he gave me to take home isn't very good. I don't want to put it on the blog, because it makes the baby look scary. Its mouth is open and there are two big holes for the eyes. It looks rather ghoulish. The baby is currently in a breech position, but no worries. It has plenty of time to turn around. Everything appeared healthy and in working order.

Finally, we got to the most crucial part. Boy or girl? It wasn't a very good picture. The baby was being modest. But the technician said, "I think it's a BOY!" At first he pointed to some fuzzy matter and said that it was a little more tissue than he sees with girls. He tried to poke and prod him a little to see if he would move, but to no avail. We went to go look at the face again where we could see a definite profile of his nose, lips, and chin. (What a cutie!) When we went back down to see if he had moved around at all, the technician froze on something and pointed out what he believed to be THE vital male organ, but the umbilical cord was kind of in the way, so it still wasn't real clear. The technician said that since he didn't have a definitive, with out a doubt view, he could only be about 85% sure that it's a boy. I said, "I'll take it". So barring any surprises when the little critter pops out, we're expecting a boy. Yea!

19 weeks

I'm definitely not looking my best here. I thought about cutting my head off, but that seemed silly. I am wearing a tank top, but the highs here have only been in the low to mid 70s. Are ya jealous??

I had a good report from the Dr. today at my monthly check up. The results from my blood tests were back and everything is normal. The baby has the same chance of getting a horrible disease as anyone else in the world. (spina bifida 1 in 50,000 and down syndrome 1 in 1,600) I also learned that I am not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis. So even if Mike is a carrier, the baby won't get it because we both have the have the gene.

I weighed a little heavier than I hoped at my last appointment, so I was glad to see I had dropped a couple of lbs. this time. (I'm at 122! I must be really short, because I'm definitely not skinny.) I was just a little nervous about it being ok for the baby. The Dr. noticed and asked me if I was having any problems. I replied that I was eating the same amount of the same stuff I'd been eating my whole pregnancy. He said it wasn't really much of a difference and I looked great, so he wasn't concerned. Yea!

The baby's heart rate has dropped down to 150 (from 162) which is still fine. When we were listening to the heart beat, we heard and I felt the baby kick and then it started to move away from the microphone. Great. Its got attitude already. I can't imagine where the baby gets it from ... :)

I've been feeling the baby move since Sunday morning. According to my Meme, she first felt my Dad move during a movie, thus resulting perhaps in his love for movies. So based on that theory, maybe our baby will grow up to be a preacher since I was sitting in Sunday school at the time. :)

I guess the most exciting news is that after scheduling and rescheduling a million times both at Italian doctors and on base, I finally have an appointment on base to get a ultrasound done. The doctor will be looking at anatomy and hopefully be able to determine gender. I can't wait!! The appointment is next Wednesday, so sadly, Mike will miss it. It was the only time I could get in before I come to the States (Sept 28-Oct 9).

Our tentative plans for me to have the baby at home in Houston, didn't quite work out as we had hoped. The good news is that Mike will be able to be present for the birth of his first child. The bad news is that it will probably be May before the baby and I get to come home to meet everyone.

I'll see all y'all Houston folks in a couple of weeks!

My 15 week appointment yesterday was disappointingly uneventful and short. The Dr. was able to listen to the heartbeat through my belly (which was highly desirable compared to the alternative method I had to endure last time). It took her about 4 tries to find it so I was starting to get a little nervous, and very relieved when she finally found it. She only listened for about 10 seconds but we heard it kicking around (although I'm not feeling it yet). The heart beat was at 158.

I also had blood drawn for standard testing for genetic diseases. We won't get the results back for about 3 weeks, but we're not too concerned. The blood is sent to San Antonio and Keesler (of all places).

My next appointment is in 4 weeks and it shouldn't be too long after that that we find out the gender. The Dr. said they do it around 20-22 weeks. So while that seems like an eternity, we are looking forward to finally being able to start decorating and stuff.

I do have a slight bluge and you can see from the picture, but some of that was still left over from a rather large dinner I ate. :)

Czech Republic: Cesky Krumlov

This was a cute little border town. There's a river that encircles it, making the town like an island. There were a ton of shops, restaurants, and another "castle". I think the colorful tower in this picture was a part of the castle. It took forever to get our food at lunch (I had vegetable soup in chicken broth with homemade noodles--very good and Mike had a trout with french fries), so by the time we were done, we didn't have a whole lot of time for anything else. We took a quick run through the "castle". It was built into a rock hill. It was long and we basically just went through the courtyards; in one side and out the other. This bridge spans the gap between one rock hill and the other. We took this picture of the city from that bridge. We basically followed this walkway all the way through the castle (it was much bigger than what you see in the picture).
This is one of the churches in town. The bottom, right picture is just some colorful buildings along the river. In the next picture I am standing in front of the fountain (but you can barely see me) in one of the castle courtyards. I'm not really the focus of the picture. :) You can tell by the number of pictures we have of the tower, it was the prettiest thing in the city and it dominated the skyline. At the end of the castle walkway, we found ourselves on a bridge over the bear habitat. You probably can't tell a whole lot about his size, but let me assure you, he was a big'un.
Truth be told, I might have enjoyed this little town more than Prague. I don't think Prague quite met my expectations. I mean it was pretty cool, just not as "bohemian" as I had hoped.
We stopped for supper in Austria and I had some goulash. It was awesome! Not like Meme's "Garrett goulash", but good nonetheless. ;)

Czech Republic: Prague

This weekend we went to the Czech Republic. We left about 10:15 pm and drove through the night. Because the country of Italy takes almost the entire month of August off, we ran into some traffic. In addition, we made 5 or 6 stops. We didn't meet our tour guide until about 9:30 on Sat. morning. So after sitting for so long we were pretty happy to take a walk around the old city. Did I mention I was throwing up all morning? Yeah. Not a fun bus trip for Erin.
Above is the Church of Our Lady Before the Tyn. The right tower (called Adam) is slightly larger (39 cm) than the left tower (Eve). Across the square was the Old Town Hall and Orloj (clock). On the hour, the bell tolls, and the 12 son (apostles) figures pass by the windows that open at the top. There was such a crowd, we couldn't see very well. This clock dates from the 1400s. It is on the wall of the Old Town Hall. The Old Town Hall was the only building the Nazis destroyed in Prague. You can see how the building looks chopped off on the right side. They did it on the way out of town after the war was already over.
This is the far end of Wenceslas Square. It's a really huge pedestrian area with lots of shopping. It is actually is less of a square and more of a "T" shape. This is the bottom of the T. We were in the top of the T when we ate at TGIFriday's. Yes, Prague has TGIFriday's. No Hard Rock, but it was soooo good to have American food. Remember, my stomach was still a little on edge, so I wanted something non-experimental. This is the National Theater. From what the tour guide said, Czechs love theater of all kinds.


This is King Charles Bridge and the Prague castle. The spires that you see are in the castle complex, but it's really a cathedral. Prague Castle is less of a "true" castle and more of a series palaces and old government buildings, and of course the cathedral.
This is the tower at the entrance to King Charles Bridge. The tour guide said that King Charles was their most influential king. I think he commissioned over 20 cathedrals and lots of other stuff. The bridge as it stands today was finished in 1402.
This is at Prague Castle. It is the first courtyard of the castle and behind it is the palace. It is where the president of the Czech Republic currently resides. The gate is guarded by 2 guards that can't move or smile or anything-- kinda like the guards in London, only with better uniforms.
This is the cathedral in the castle complex. It's called St. Vitus. And this is where our camera battery died. However, there's not a whole lot more at the castle we would've taken a picture of anyway.

We also visited the Jewish Quarter of the city. We peeked in the graveyard where the graves go 12 people deep. There are 144,00 people buried in a very small space. The gravestones where practically inches a part.
I didn't include a picture of this, but I think it bears mentioning that while we did not see him, our tour guide told us that Johnny Depp was staying in one of the hotels on the river because he was filming a movie in Prague. She didn't know the name of it though. She said she met him on King Charles bridge one day. She said he was nice, but really skinny. I said it was probably because he smokes so much. Ha. I took a picture of the hotel. :)
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and headed for Cesky Krumlov. Please see the next blog.