Names: FYI

We find out what we have baking in the oven on Tuesday and we wanted to make everyone aware of the names we still had in mind:

Girl: Lofton Marie Mavrogeorge

Boy: Timothy J Mavrogeorge

Meeting Dr. Shakr

We had a visit with the Dr. last night and met Dr. Christo Shakr-a man that is apparently hard to get into and is extremely wonderful. We agreed! It was a short visit in which we discussed C-sections and induction. He encouraged education and to be informed of risks/benefits etc. before we make a decision. This is something we will consider since I want my family here for the experience.

He measured my tummy, and stated it was growing well (haha). We listened and recorded the heartbeat on our phones. The heart rate was 158-160 last night, strong & healthy!

Overall the Dr. was great, very professional, and honest. He didn't make us feel rushed at all which we loved! We see him again in 4 weeks for check-up.

La Salette-Attleboro, MA

We had a chance to visit this wonderful place..The Christmas Festival of Lights is La Salette’s gift to God’s people who wish to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Just as Christ is the “Light of the World” and Mary was surrounded by dazzling light when she appeared at La Salette in 1846, light is a very strong symbol in Christian tradition. There are over 300,000 lights illuminating over 10 acres.

15 weeks, 2 days

I have discovered the discomfort of tummy sleeping, I was finally asked if my tummy could be felt at work today, and I still am trying to discover ways to sleep through the night...the little softball inside me keeps waking me up at 2:30am sharp to go pee, and has made my appetite in the daytime rather intense.

Please note: A belly full of Vanilla ice cream and baby are present. :)

First Snow

We had our first snowfall over the weekend, it wasn't to heavy but I was able to go and take some pictures, and we let Shonie enjoy some snow too!

Brunette!

I finally did something with my hair-my roots were showing terribly so I had some brown dye I dug up and it actually covered all of my highlights! So now onto the mom haircut...haha!

I have...

officially bought Maternity pants...................and BOY ARE THEY COOOOOOOOOOOOMFY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait for all the rest of the clothes...I'm so excited for the new Preggie fashion thats coming my way... ;)

3 months, 6 days

Belly, belly....here it comes! My jeans are fitting tight, and these are my last ones that I can button w/o using the rubberband trick. Just thought I would share my bloatedness with the world!

Prenatal Exam 11/21

I met with a Nurse Practioner yesterday afternoon to do a full check up and listen to the heartbeat. My friend Natalie went with me because T.J. was working in Vermont.

The heartrate was 172--my uterus is growing well and everything is going good so far. I lost 2 lbs from my last visit, but this week my appetite is in full effect. (Pepsi...7-Eleven Nachos...Mashed Potatoes...Turkey (weird!).

My next visit is meeting Dr. Shekr on the 19th. And we scheduled the 19 week Ultrasound to find out the sex on JANUARY 9th!

Sequential Screening-12 weeks, 1 Day

We had our screening today! We got to see our 5cm little one in its glory, kicking and stretching. The heartrate was 162 and we were able to listen to it! Everything looks good, all arms, feet, toes and fingers are accounted for. We are amazed today and we finally realize and know this is REALLY HAPPENING!! Here are the photos!

TOGA, TOGA, TOGA!

We made it to another one of Ryans Parties--this time the theme was TOGA. No Toga, no Entry....we had a lot of fun!

King Richards Fair - 10/25

We had the pleasure of scoring tickets from T.J.'s friend Eric (the living Gargoyle), for King Richards Fair a few weeks ago. The day was extremely cold, and I wasn't feeling well but we made the best of the day and enjoyed the experience.

The Apartment

Here are a few pictures, my camera died while walking around, but I got a few good ones. I got a few of the bedrooms but they turned out dark, hopefully this will give you an idea.

Living Room/Porch Entry

Laundry

The Bathroom

The Dining Room/Kitchen/Laundry

Our porch/2nd Bedroom window (Porch overlooks a woods area)

The new place..

I will post our pictures soon...but here is the website! We sign the lease sometime this week, and out last day at the current place is December 2nd.

*2 Bedroom - Master has Walk-in closet
*Full Size W/D! (YAAAAAAY!!!!)
*Corner unit, with lots of Windows
*New carpet throughout apartment
*Security entry at front door, lots of parking
*Updated Kitchen with brand spankin new appliances and cabinets
*Big living room to fit all our furniture
*Patio/Deck with a small yard area facing the woods
*Bathroom with a Bathtub!! :)
*We can even paint if we want to, as long as its back to normal upon moving out.

We love this place and are so excited to move!!!

www.libertyplacema.com

We must be running from the Law...

Because we are moving again....(Yes, for the 4th time in a year....)

Well, at least hoping to anyways. Our landlords decided to raise our rent $200 in January, due to the fact there water and electric bill have increased. We are very annoyed with the situation-due to the fact our water use is extremely minimal and we don't leave anything on during the day. They alone upstairs take 6-8 showers in any given day, and have ignored our request to fix our running toilet.

We have been happy here for the most part, but laundry is an issue as well as not having a bathtub. They have hardwood floors upstairs, so we hear every step they take. We hardly use the 2nd room and wouldn't use it for the baby anyway when he/she arrives. Insulation is awful...and we had an awful mosquito problem this summer.

So we did some talking, and came to the conclusion that if we are going to pay more anyways, we should do our best to find a better more convenient place to live, that we feel safer in. We put alot of work into cleaning up this place, so its kind of going to be bitter sweet to leave. We have viewed a few apartment complex w/amenities and have been really pleased with what we have found so far. So we'll keep you updated..the search goes on..

Oct. 27th Appt.

I had my Intake appointment on Monday afternoon. It went well for the most part. I had lots of questions answered and gave lots of pee and blood. Yay!

I'm taking Flintstone Vitamins with Iron now because my other pre-natal pills make me sick. I have had a semi-good appetite and my pants are beginning to feel really tight--so I use the rubberband trick on some. I haven't craved sweets or candy for awhile, which is sad around Halloween! The things I love now are orange popsicles, kosher dill pickles, peanut butter on english muffins, and salads.

I have a "Sequential Screening" on November 19th at South Shore Hospital (My 11th week). At this appointment I will have an ultrasound, they will measure the babys neck, draw my blood and send me on my way. At week 16 I will go back and have blood work done again-together these results will compile and rule out 90% of defects or problems with the baby. So thats about all we are waiting for--T.J. can't wait to see the baby this time!

Breaking the News!

So, I couldn't take it anymore and I finally told my boss today about the pregnancy! She was so great about it all and very encouraging. She knew something was up when I walked into her office. She said I had nothing to worry about and they all love babies around here. What a relief!

THEN later-I was standing with the ladies I work with and they were making a plan to go out on a Saturday night and go for some drinks, they asked if I could come, so out of habit I said "Sure, I'll just be the DD." They all look at me with a puzzled look..and one pipes up "Why???" "Are you pregnant??" I guess the look on my face gave it away, because I was swarmed with hugs. They were all so excited, it took me by suprise. Apparently babies are very welcomed here! haha

So I feel lots better, and now everyone knows why I have Saltines stashed in my desk now, and why I love the potty so much.


*Next Appts-
Oct. 27th-9 weeks (For Intake/Medical History Visit)
Nov. 19th-12 weeks (Meet Dr. Sheekr for my 1st Dr. visit)

TGIF!

It's the end of the week, and I find myself still uncomfortable. The nausea has let up a bit, thanks to a tablet called "Zantac". My pants are already getting tighter and I find myself visiting the potty more than I'd like to admit. I wake up frequently at night and I curse my flannel sheets. Sleeps is the first thing on my mind when I wake up at 6:35am. I constantly feel dehydrated and think about water all day now. Our house looks like a tornado hit Kansas and my cat feels deprived. I'm homesick, sick of computers, stressing about a Halloween costume, and all I want to watch is SpongeBob cartoons and eat KFC mashed potatoes. Hhhhhmmmm hormonal??

How is everyone else doing???

A Deanna Update:

So, all I can say is the baby and I are either in the UFC or in a streetfighter video game, because this kid is kickin' my ass!!!

Its all I can do to not think of certain foods to help my hunger and BAAAAAM nausea city. I wake up, crave cereal, and apparently cherrios (multigrain) are not on my bodies "good" list right now. Even water sounds nasty.

Don't even get me started on sleeping--after restless night sleeps which happen more often now, I woke up at 10am, could barely keep my eyes open during my SpongeBob-a-Thon and T.J. later found me passed out on the couch--so 4pm I awake like a walking zombie.

I can only hope these days will soon pass!

It must be....

the hormones---

I craved STEAK TIPS tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!

UH OH........

Baby "Lentil" - 6 weeks

We couldn't be more excited! My nurse called me today and gave me my HCG levels-11,171 as of yesterday! I was immediately booked for an ultrasound, and they got me in on my lunch break today. T.J. rushed down but could not make it in time to see it. :( The tech stated that everything looked good, and after some patience we got a heartbeat-I actually saw a little flicker! The heartbeat I read was 140 I believe-which is high (and a sign of a girl!!! -Shhhh!)

So here is our little "Lentil" Bean..

The baby is located in between the dots on the picture, and the dark area below it is the yolk sak.

As for Deanna: very tired, sore boobies, and a craving for pineapple orange juice (weird??)

Big News..!

SURPRISE!

Most of you know our secret now....but we are expecting! We found out late last week, and still remain in shock. We are being very cautious with this one and are keeping it hush-hush for awhile.

I went for a blood test Friday and my HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Hormone) levels were at 287 which is a good start, and yesterday they were at around 980! The nurse said this is excellent and we are in good shape so far--after my count is at 3000 we can do an early ultrasound to detect anything and check to make sure all is well.

So lets hope for a blessing on June 2nd!

Our #3

So we were considering rescueing a kitten for Shonie to play with and have around the house since we are gone so much. I looked around a few times at sites (while bawling of course) and couldnt even decide which one to get, let alone what age. After debate, I think we came to rest on the idea that Shonie is our sole-buddy and we want to give him some great last years with us. We are afraid a kitten will either be really good for him or really bad, and we are a little timid to test the waters for right now. So for the time being its a pleasent family of 3, with Shonie being HOH!

X-Rated Cake!

So our great friend Missy is going to have a procedure done on Friday, and T.J. and I made her a special "Farewell Boobies" cake! We sure got a kick out of it, as well as the waitress that was serving our table at the restuarant! We wish her luck and cannot wait to see the NEW MISSY! :)

My New Office

This is my new office...at the front doors there is a nice pond full of ducks, geese, squirrels and other things that fly.. haha. Its a great building and I love coming to work everyday!

My e-mail address for my new job is: dmavrogeorge@golasik.net

Date "day"!

We went on a date yesterday! We made our way into the city and had a late lunch at a great restaurant called "The Melting Pot" which is a Fondue place. The experience was both interesting and yummy!

You pick your cheese...they make it fresh in the pot at your table and give you bread, veggies, and apples to dip it in!

The entree' is cooked in a seasoned broth of your choice, you are givin a choice of veggies, meat, or seafood to eat and cook with. They had a great Vegetarian selection, and we cooked our veggies and topped it with their great sauces.

Dessert....OH MY.....was it amazing. We both were speechless while dipping our goodies in the chocolate. It was unreal. ANyone who comes our way to visit---we are taking you here!

Hanna!

Hanna is on her way......and the rain has begun!! Wooooo-hoooooo!!!!!

I'm excited to see if anything will happen...we are aways away from the water, but I welcome some rain :)

T.J.'s Birthday!

T.J. turned 27 on Wednesday!We had a get together over the weekend to celebrate, and invited our friends over to enjoy the afternoon with us.

On his birthday night we went to The Olive Garden...yum! We are HUGE fans of "the Office" so I got him a special box set that came with some goodies along with the new season.

It was also my sisters birthday, along with my best friend Kristines...it was a day full of special birthdays!

The New Job..

What a week! Friday was my 5th day with my new job. I feel like I have become more comfortable and relaxed while I am there. I am just trying to get my body adjusted to getting up so early now and sitting most of the day in front of a computer.

There are tons of things to learn with medical insurances and eye appointments, I thought it would be easier! haha! Everyone is saying the 1st week is the most overwhelming of them all and things will get easier with repetition and time. Everyone was very welcoming and easy to be around so I am optimistic that this will work out for me. I'll keep you updated!

Wedding Gift

Our friend Charleen designed us this special gift for our wedding. We were able to pick it up in person when we went down to Florida for our Honeymoon.

It reads a special quote that was actually the last vow we said to one another--"Stay Positive and Love our Lives together..."

We ADORE this gift and the thought she put behind this.. Thank you Charleen!

School Update: Our FUTURE!

School has been a constant mind battle these last few weeks, and I have been sort of lost and in need of a little re-grouping. I went to Quincy College today, sat down with an advisor and asked her numerous questions about options, classes, my best route and advice. I was lucky to get paired up with an amazing lady today--she was upbeat and very encouraging.

My 1st task: Complete my Allied Health Exam with passing scores. (Math, Reading Comp., and Sentence Skills) I am scheduled next Thursday to take this exam.

2nd Task: If all goes well with the exam, I can apply for the Practical Nursing program on October 1st, if accepted I will start Fall 2009 for a 10 month program to complete my LPN License.

3rd Task: While waiting to start in Fall 2009, I complete my Microbiology & Lab course, and retake Anatomy II, to get a better grade. I have 90% of the pre-courses already completed, these are the only two I need! In the mean time while wait to start--work, work, work!

4th Task: After completion of LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) I can then apply for an Accelerated RN program that takes 9 months (Full-time) or 1 year (Part-time). This will take an additional year if accepted, but in the mean time I can work as an LPN at a hospital (average yearly salary $41,000!).

5th and Final Task: After completing the Accelerated RN program I can GRADUATE. I just cross my fingers that I can get accepted into the programs without hassle!

THEN: who knows???????? :)

Fruitastic Voyage

We had a girls day on Sunday afternoon and we decided to take a trip to the "country" located in Northern Massachusetts and do some fruit picking! We had a great day picking fresh Peaches, Apples, Blueberries and Rasberries (and on occasional off-limit strawberry--sssshhh!!).

I was particularly intrigued with the chicken coop--they swarmed the entrance when I crouched down to see them and were quite friendly. I guess thats my Wyoming roots coming out..it sure was nice being in the country, I felt right at home!

8/16

Was supposed to be THE BIG DAY!!!!!.....

It feels weird today.. :(

remembering an afton funny...

we made spaghetti for dinner tonight....

and all we could think of was-

SUPA-GHETTI!!!!!!

we miss you guys..

/Rant

I informed my boss today of my decision to move on, and lets just say I wasn't to pleased with his response. It was a hectic day at the office, and Dr. Skoler hurt his ACL over the weekend...leaving him very grumpy already.

I approached him after work, very nervous and I openly told him I had found a new opportunity that I could not pass up on. Red faced and fuming--he ever so nicely stated "All I can say is I'm very disappointed in you.."

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT????? Are you kidding???

I told him I enjoyed working there but I have to consider my health benefits and future well being right now, and I was sorry to leave him. We was very short, kept saying he was very disappointed..and wouldnt look me in the eye, all in turn making me feel like a complete sack-o-nuts.

I was warned he gets a little fussy when things stray him off track and don't go his way. I got the full effect tonight. The girls are excited for me and wish they had the balls to leave too! It comes down to respect and my personal well being, and I haven't had any for this man for quite sometime.

The next 2 weeks will be interesting..