Up and Running

The Scheiners.com is up and running. So, follow the link to get to my new blog:

http://www.thescheiners.com

We used this as our wedding website, and David revamped it for us. Maybe Brad will post every once in a while now. (With all that free time he has! HA!)

I will send out an e-mail eventually with the new link once I get more savvy with it.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday!

I am always a few days past the weekend when I post about the weekend, but it's been kind of a busy past couple of days!!

Saturday, Brad was at orientation, so I decided to treat myself. I got a pre-natal massage that was FABULOUS! (Brad gave me a gift certificate for Mother's Day.) Then, I got a manicure and a pedicure (Elizabeth gave me a gift certificate for my birthday.) So, thanks Brad and Liz for allowing me to treat myself! It was much needed! Saturday night, we laid low because Brad was exhausted from a long 4 days of orientation!

Sunday, my dad came and stayed with us because he is working in Allentown this week, so it was great to see him briefly. He helped us out by installing a key pad entry into the garage. We also had our fantasy draft on Sunday night. Our fantasy league is now very spread out over the US! It started with all the teams in Chicago in 2001, and now we have teams in Texas, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Michigan as well.....Pretty crazy! We shall see how my team does. I had the number four pick, so I got Tiki Barber in the first round, Marvin Harrison in the second round, and TO in the third round (if I had it to do over again I would NOT have picked him, I don't know if he is going to be worth having!), then Marc Bulger in the fourth round. I won two years ago, and I am hoping the baby will bring me good luck this year!

Monday, Brad got a big screw stuck in his tire. Yuck!

Tonight, we went and did Super Suppers again. It's this really cool place where you go and prepare meals to put in the freezer. We did it back in May, and we really enjoyed all the meals we made, so we decided to try it out again. And we are planning to go again in late October/early November to stock the freezer so we have decent meals to eat when the baby comes! It's so easy because they have the recipes and all the ingredients out and ready to assemble the meals. We are trying the first one tomorrow, so we shall see how that goes.

Tomorrow we are going to visit two possible daycares, one at Brad's office and another close to where I work. I have not completely decided that I am going to go back to work, but just in case I do, I want a good place for our baby to go. It's like the million dollar question if I will go back to work or not. Some days I think I want to go back to work, other days I think I want to stay home....so who knows. At this point, I think part-time might be the best compromise! I haven't talked to my boss about this yet, but we shall see how I feel after the baby is born. I definitely don't think I am on the career woman path, but living in New Jersey is expensive, and I just want to make sure we are still able to save some money every month!

Things are still going well, I am just having some issues sleeping. Not so much getting to sleep, but staying asleep. Like this morning, I woke up at 5:15 and couldn't go back to sleep! Which is frustrating because I need my sleep while I can get it! I am going to be sleep-deprived enough once the baby arrives!! I have been able to feel more movement more consistently in the past week, which is very cool. But she has gotten into the habit of jamming her foot into my ribs, which I am sure will get pretty uncomfortable as that foot gets bigger!!

Update....

I know it has been a slow blog time. I have been scrapbooking! And when I get in a groove, I have to go with the groove. My brother also revived thescheiners.com that we used for our wedding, so look to see my blog move there next week. I have to get a training session from him on how to work on the functions. Maybe Brad will even do an entry every once in a while!

Anyways, things are going well. We had the Aquinos in town last weekend and we branched out and actually went to a couple of different casinos! It was interesting….we’ll just say that Trump Marina is a total dump and we will not be going back there again unless it’s to go on Brad friend Larry’s boat. Caesar’s, however, was not too bad! And the Pier shopping mecca they opened there is amazing! We will be hopefully going there again soon, most likely to do only window shopping, but 10 restaurants will be opening in September.

Brad started school yesterday with a 4 day orientation! And he had a case study to prepare for orientation. (Talk about intense!!) But, when he came home last night, he said he liked it, and he was looking forward to going back today, so I guess that’s a good sign. He was definitely anxious yesterday, however…he woke up before the alarm went off. He never does that, usually he barely moves when the alarm starts blaring! He will be staying in the city for the next two nights and get home early evening on Saturday, and then he has class next weekend on Friday and Saturday. No rest for the weary. He got all of his books and materials last week.

As for me, I am still feeling pretty good, but I am definitely starting to waddle! I can definitely feel myself slowing down a bit, and my back starts to hurt towards the end of the day some days. The past two nights, I have had trouble sleeping, so hopefully that will pass. (Somehow, I am not too confident about that, though...). I have decided that drying my hair in the morning is a luxury because I would rather sleep the extra 10 minutes! I feel like I am all belly, but I am feeling the baby move more and more every day, which is still the coolest feeling ever! Brad got to see my stomach move the other day too when the baby did a somersault. I can’t wait to see feet and elbows, too!! Here’s a couple of photos we took this week.

I am excited tonight because the Eagles are not playing a pre-season game. For the past two weeks, their games have been on instead of Grey’s Anatomy!! I was not happy about that at all. I know they are re-runs, but I LIVE for this show! I have already pre-ordered Season Two which comes out on September 12! I cannot wait!!!

I am glad it’s almost the weekend!

Great vacation, not so great travel experience

This past weekend, we went to Michigan for a little vacation. We were supposed to leave on Thursday night and fly into Detroit and then drive to Brad’s parents house, but our flight was cancelled due to weather. What weather I am not sure, but I think it may have been because of the little storm we had in Philly, but not even at the airport. Frustrating!! And Thursday was the day they were banning liquids from the flight and everything so we expected there to be a huge wait at the airport, but there was no line to check bags and no line at security, it was kind of eerie! They booked us on a flight on Friday morning, so we headed home, had some dinner and then went to bed.

Friday morning was a totally different experience at the airport. It was completely mobbed!!!! It was worse than Midway at Thanksgiving. It was pretty outrageous. We were standing in line to check bags (which took about 35 minutes), and I decided to take the liquids out of my bag and put them in Brad’s so I could go get in the security line. Thank goodness I did because it took an hour and 15 minutes to get through security!!!! We got the gate at exactly the time our flight was scheduled to leave. We would have missed it if they hadn’t been waiting for a flight attendant! So, we were so happy to get on the plane and be on our way to Detroit.We met my mom and Detroit and were on our way to Kalamazoo. We took a small detour through Ann Arbor so my mom could see the campus. Once we got to Kzoo, we took a tour of Helen and David’s beautiful new bedroom. I am jealous, it is absolutely gorgeous!!! Then we headed to lunch at the Moors, and then Brad and David went and played a round of golf to get ready for the weekend. The ladies went and did some shopping!

We got up early on Saturday morning to head up North. The main reason for the trip was a golf vacation for Brad and his dad, but Helen, my mom and I were just tagging along for fun. I wanted my mom to see Northern Michigan because it is absolutely beautiful up there!!! Saturday, we went to an Art Fair in Charlevoix and then headed to Petoskey to check into the hotel. (More on that later.) Then we headed up to Harbor Springs, which is definitely a boating town! All the shops closed at 6! We decided to head up to Cross Village, where Helen said there was a “Funky restaurant” where we could eat dinner. It turned out to be Legs Inn, a Polish American restaurant in a beautiful outdoor setting. Inside was a little “funky,” but the food was good and the view was spectacular! Brad also felt the first kick from the baby after dinner, which is a momentous occasion!

The hotel was interesting because all 5 of us were in the same room, which they described as a suite, but it was actually just one big room, complete with a large Jacuzzi tub and a pull out couch. My mom slept on the rollaway. And we also had Riley, the bichon. So, it was interesting for sure!! I would have gotten more sleep were in not for all the snoring, but oh well….it was just one night!

Sunday, Brad and his dad had their first round of golf, so the ladies headed off for more shopping. We went to Traverse City, which is a very cute little town, with lots of great shops, including several baby shops! We had a yummy lunch at the Mackinaw Brewery and then headed to Elk Rapids, where all the shops closed at 3!!! (I guess it was Sunday after all, so not much shopping there.) We stopped at Helen's friends house where we were staying for a little rest and then we met Brad and David in Bay Harbor for dinner. It was the longest.....dinner....ever, but the food and conversation were good, and Bay Harbor is one of my favorite spots in Michigan!!!

Monday morning, Mom and I headed to Detroit around 10 AM. (It's about a 4 hour drive.) When we were about 45 minutes from the airport, I realized that Brad still had the keys to both my car and the house! So, I didn't really freak out about it until we got to the airport, and the Motor Club guy said they couldn't tow my car home because the tow truck wouldn't fit in the parking garage. I thought I had everything figured out. Not so much.....so I tried to think of what I could do because I had to get into my car to get the garage door opener. I had no other way to get into the house. I called one of my neighbors, Jodi, to see if she could pick me up, and she is a lifesaver!!!! When we landed at the airport, I called the motor club again to see if they could send someone to jimmy into my car, and the tow service they called said lock out is offered as a service from the airport. I called, and sure enough, the Philadelphia airport offers free services such as lockouts and jumpstarts. Amazing!!! They were a little confused because the keys were not in the car, but I got what I needed and Jodi picked me up and we were on our way. I was so exhausted by the time I got home. I am so thankful that we had an extra key to Brad's car here. I don't think I could have faced going back to the airport.

So, being in Northern Michigan was really fun! I absolutely love it up there, and I wish we could have stayed longer! It was great to see the Scheiners and my mom!

Surprise and Happy Anniversary

I am a little late in posting about last weekend, but I have been pretty tired this week!

Last weekend I went to Pittsburgh for what turned out to be a surprise baby shower/girls weekend! I thought I was going to Pittsburgh to see my old roommates Laura and Shannon, but when Shannon and I arrived at Laura’s house, Tracie and then Stacy and then Tammy walked out of the kitchen!!! I had absolutely no idea, and I was so completely surprised and excited to see them, it was fabulous!!! Just what this pregnant momma needed, is some girl time! They are all sneaky and good at keeping secrets apparently!

So, we ate a (late) yummy dinner of lasagna, salad and bread with peach cobbler for dessert that Laura had prepared and presented beautifully. (Tracie chopped everything of course and Shannon was the Spice Master.) Then, we just talked and then opened baby presents. (Thanks for all the cute clothes and stuff, girls!) We went to bed around 1 because we had an early appointment at the spa.

Saturday morning, we got up early and headed to Nemicolon spa for manicures. We were a little bit late (oops!), so only Laura and I got full manicures. The other four only got a polish change, they were having none of the fact that we were late. Oh well! We walked around the beautiful grounds and then had lunch at this beautiful outdoor restaurant overlooking the mountains. It was quite a beautiful place!

Saturday night, we headed into downtown Pittsburgh for dinner at Hot Metal Grille, which was fabulous! And then we went to see “The Devil Wears Prada.” All of us had been wanting to see the movie, but hadn’t had a chance, and we all had read the book. It was very entertaining, and Meryl Streep deserves at least an Oscar nomination. After we got back from the movie, the baby was going CRAZY! I have never felt her move so much, it was very cool!!!! (I always refer to her in the female, but Brad always refers to him in the male!!)

Sunday, we got up and had breakfast and then everyone pretty much headed their own ways. It was a perfect weekend, and just what I needed. I am so blessed to have such great friends!!!

3 years ago yesterday, I became the luckiest girl in the world when I married Bradley Scheiner in Nashville. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years already!!! It’s been a pretty exciting 3 years, and I think this year is due to be even more exciting! We went to dinner at this yummy Italian place in our neighborhood that we have been wanting to try for a long time. It was really good, although some of their power was out, which made for a kind of warm dinner considering the 100 degree heat outside!!! We decided not to do gifts because we have a lot of expenses coming up soon. I am glad we decided not to go to the Cirque Du Soleil show that is in town because it’s all outdoors. I don’t think that would have been good for a pregnant woman!

On the pregnancy front, things are going really well. I am definitely getting a basketball looking bump. I feel the baby move at least a little bit every day, some days more than others and more in the evening than any other time. I am starting to get tired again (Brad thinks it’s because I need to exercise more, which is probably true, but walking on the treadmill is so boring and it’s been way too hot to walk outside!) And I feel like up until now, things were going quickly, and now I just can’t wait to meet this little person!

Hope everyone has had a good week! It’s almost Friday!!

An Athlete in the making

The baby is moving.... a lot!!! We definitely saw all of the movement at the ultrasound, but I have been able to feel little flutters lately. It's somewhat sporadic, but it is definitely one of the coolest things!! It will be cool when Brad can feel it, too. He is excited because he is sure I am carrying a star athlete! We shall see!

We went to the doctor today and he said about 26 weeks is when the kicks get strong enough to feel on the outside of my stomach (which is about another month). He said everything looks good, and I am on target with everything, so that's comforting. He could tell which way the baby was situated just by feeling my stomach. I really like going to the doctor because we get to hear the heartbeat, which is just so precious.

Weekend in Review

As promised! Sorry it took a little longer than expected. I really need to figure out a better way to do photos.....

What a weekend it was! My weekend started on Thursday evening when I flew down to Louisville. I arrived around 11:30 and visited with my mom and my brother for a little bit and then went to bed because I was exhausted!

Friday morning, we woke up and headed out to Churchill Downs to watch some horse racing! First, we stopped for lunch in the Derby Cafe, which was yummy! There were 12 of us: me, Mom, David, Katie, Rebecca, Bob, Glen, Anne, Christian, Charlie, Reid and Jean. It was a big family reunion. I can’t believe it’s been almost 2 years since I saw Katie (since she lives out in Oregon, it’s difficult for her to get home!). After lunch, we headed up to Millionaire’s Row to have some reprieve from the heat and humidity. (I think it’s where all the famous people sit for the Derby, but we only paid $10. I imagine it’s much more for the big event!) It was a nice big room with a bar and door that went outside where you could watch the races. David had his first Mint Julep, and wasn’t such a fan of the Bourbon. None for me, but maybe next time! Rebecca was drinking Woodford Reserve Bourbon on the rocks! What is that all about!?!

Anyways, we all got the lowdown about betting from Bob and Anne, and made our bets on the first race. I did an exacta box on Horses 8 and 9, mostly because I liked their names

, and I won $107!!!! WOW! It was definitely beginners luck, but I will take it! Christian won $50 on another race. On the last race, we bet a Winners box, which means that you bet $2 on each horse to win. It was a bad race to do that on because the horse that won had 4-5 odds, so we ended up losing $15! Oh well, it was fun and cool to see Churchill Downs!!

After the betting, we headed to Frankfort to celebrate Granny’s 88th birthday! There were some very high winds and lots of rain, so it was a little treacherous getting over there. We saw all sorts of trees that were uprooted and trees that had fallen on houses. Pretty scary! It was great to see Granny, and she just kept telling me she was so excited for me to have her first Great Grandbaby. She’s so cute!!!

Saturday was the day of my baby shower hosted by my aunt. She and my mom could seriously go into party planning! Everything was so beautifully set up and everything! It was a great day, and it was so fun to see everyone! Shannon, Tammy, Colleen, Stacy, and Elizabeth traveled from their respective locations to come to the shower, so that was fun!!! I wish it could have lasted longer, but it was still good to see them and for them to see my pregnant belly! We played the game where they had to estimate how big I was by measuring out a piece of string, and some people that I was a lot bigger than I am!!! But I would have had no idea either! We got lots of great gifts, so thank you everyone!!! There was a funny moment at the shower when Granny got a birthday present, and she said "But I am not having a baby!" Hysterical!!

After the shower, we went over to a friend of my mom’s daughter’s house, and I felt like I was on Cribs! This house was outrageous! There was a theater room, and this great pool with a grill attached, 8 bathrooms, a work out room! It was great! We just kind of hung out and had dinner. Elizabeth stayed, so it was great to spend some time with her!

Brad was a busy little worker bee on Saturday, he painted the nursery, and it looks great!!! He sent some pictures so we could all see the finished product and the last picture was one of him which made me cry because I missed him, and it was just so cute!!! It looks even better in person!!

Sunday, we went to brunch with my dad and Connie and the Ropers (the minister who gave the homily at our wedding and his wife, who I have known for a long time and now live in Louisville) at this wonderful brunch place! Yum!!!! Mom and I did a little shopping after everyone left and then just hung around.

Monday we took Granny to breakfast for her actual birthday and then did a little more shopping and then I headed to the airport!

It was such a fabulous weekend, and it was so great to spend time with so many different people!!!! Christian is getting so big! I can't believe he is 12 years old. 4 days is definitely a good amount of time for a visit. It makes me wish we lived closer!!

And my belly button is now completely protruded. (And no, David, it did not make a sound....when I said it was going to pop out any second, David asked if it was going to make a sound! )