cruise pics: tortola and day at sea

arriving in tortola.....we hopped in a taxi that was going to take us to a beach of course

some of the views on our way up the mountainous terrain.....our little taxi/van thingy literally sounded like it was going to blow up any minute...everyone was passing us...including scooters...this ended up being a very adventurous trip to the beach and we were very glad to have made it to the beautiful beaches without blowing the engine

more picturesque views as we putt-putted through the mountains on the way to the beach

the big boats

so amazing!!!

what a view...i'm relaxed already!

warm, blue, carribbean waters....aaaah!!!

silly pics in the water

baby bump love

you know you're on vaca when you're surrounded by coconut trees

baby bump getting some sun

a pelican to see us off the island

departing tortola..... our ship is on the left

the main pool deck of the norwegian dawn

martini "mixology and tasting" presentation...... basically free martinis

here we are in the stardust theatre where we saw many wonderful shows throughout the week including comedian performances, magicians, broadway shows and our favorite.... 2nd city improv comedy....so funny

this is shonda our cruise director....always with a smile making sure we are having a great time

this is the finale show "bollywood" a broadway with belly dancing and with all sorts of incredible acrobatic stunts

the crew doing their last performance

this was in one of the lounges at the "all white dance party"

laying out on the deck

Visiting with Family

so since mike and i were fortunate enough to get away for a week together on a cruise to the carribbean.....we flew into orlando and spent the day with both sets of parents before our departure. orlando is probably the most central location between gainesville (where the smiths live) and melbourne (where the rudnickis live) both being 1 1/2 hr away or so. anyway, we met up and went out for lunch and then went to a theme park called "the holy land experience" which is modeled after events occurring in the Bible. there were a lot of dramas and mini musicals as well as artifacts and a beautiful prayer garden. at the end we were able to see a drama of the crucifixion and resurrection which was really powerful and had everyone in tears. it was great to be with family, even if only to spend the day together. we then headed south to my parents and my dad drove us to miami the next morning to leave for our vaca!!!! thanks dad!

my dad pretending to be samson and knock down the pillars

my cute parents in the prayer garden

me and my mom in front of the temple

both moms, me and belly

almost week 20

my growing belly...so i will be 20 weeks on thursday....can you believe i'm basically half way done? so crazy!!!! i'm still feeling great. i can now feel the baby move reguarly...it feels like little thumps in my lower abdomen. today i even felt a thump with my hand from the outside of my belly...so cool! hopefully, michael can feel it soon too!

baby bump!!! so the baby at 20 weeks is developing sleeping patterns...hopefully they are really good ones....nice and long. the baby is also practicing swallowing and breathing as well as fully extending it's arms and legs. the baby weighs about 9 oz and measures about 5.5-6.5 inches. (that 8.5 inches at 18 weeks was an error...i must have been having a mindless pregnancy type-o)

like i said, i'm feeling wonderful....no complaints...i do have a cold right now so it's frustrating to not be able to take decongestants and other cold meds which are a no-no in pregnancy....i'm pretty much limited to tylenol. i still have not bought any maternity clothes but i did purchase a "bella band" which is an elastic band that you can wear over your unbuttoned pants and it looks like a tank top and supports your belly as well as holds up and covers your open pants....designed basically so you can wear your regular pants longer...yey!

18 weeks today

WEEK 18
i know i'm way behind on the posts...so i had my 2nd OB appt yesterday and everything is going well. no ultrasound this time but the heartbeat is in the right range and strong and regular...there's a baby in there after all!!! i say that because i really don't even feel pregnant. i have been feeling really great!!! no morning sickness or anything...honestly except for my obvious little baby bump....which now everyone is noticing...even my patients....i really don't even feel pregnant....what a blessing!!!!! i do sleep a lot more than my normal 6-7 hrs per night. i have only gained 3 pounds so far...i'm surprised too but glad....and since i have always had random food cravings, nothing really new or different in that department. mike and i did start our baby registry this past week and that was really fun, a bit overwhelming, but made us feel like we're actually getting ready for a baby to come!!!! so crazy. my pants are definitely getting tight but i have not yet purchased any maternity clothing....that might be my next venture. according to the books, the baby is now about 8.5 inches long and weighs about 7 oz. i should be able to feel the baby move any day now. they say it feels like a flutter or gas bubble so who knows????? the fingerpads and toepads are formed and the fingerprints are staring to develop this week as mostly everything else has formed. also, the baby's first meconium (poop) is forming in it's intestine and last week the baby started becoming aware of external sounds....so he or she can hear us now!!!

WEEK 17
so mike was taking random crazy pictures of me while i'm eating fresh ciabatta bread with butter...yum! i wasn't in a picture taking mood hence the lovely facial expressions.

mom visits CT

i was fortunate enought to have my mom come visit me for the last few days in cold CT.....we had so much fun together....we cooked....we shopped....and we spoiled ourselves a bit...so fun...thank you mom for coming. i'm also posting a new belly pic...apparently my new printer does not have a scanner...so.....i'm going to have to figure out the ultrasound thing later...go to kinkos or something

here we are at union station waiting for out train to NYC

my pretty mama

on the train...let the adventures begin!

we stayed with my good friend autumn and these are pictures of her adorable place in NYC...thanks autumn for hosting us at your place...and lauren too!

getting ready to go out for dinner and a show...on broadway of course...such a NY thing to do

dinner was really amazing....good choice autumn

outside of the theatre....we saw ave Q...very funny and a little racy the music was excellent

it was cold and windy

the day before she left, i surprised my mom with a day at the spa...we both had massages and facials and just enjoyed having a girlie day of pampering together

arent we cute in our robes

and as promised....a belly picture...according to my new dates...i am 15 weeks and 5 days in this picture....16 weeks tomorrow...how crazy!!! to me my belly seems pretty pokey-outy and big but in the pictures it doesnt nearly look as big as it feels :)

baby news!!!!!

so for those of you who have not heard....mike and i are expecting!!!! i am 14 weeks pregnant and due aug 13th. this is my first belly picture which was taken in december at the smith house.

so here's the story. i took a pregnancy test dec 17th...and it was positive!!! i waited till then because we were flying out on the 18th to see both the families for christmas. i took mike out for dinner that night and told him i had an early christmas present for him. i bought a little baby outfit that said "baby's first christmas" on it and wrapped the positive pregnancy test in the outfit. we debated whether to tell the families at this point or not since it was so early....but we couldn't help ourselves. it was wonderful to share the news when we were all together at such a special time!!! both families were super excited for us.

we had our first OB appt feb. 11th and also our first ultrasound. it made the pregnancy pretty real for me to actually see the baby move inside my belly on the screen. mike and i have decided to let the baby's sex be a surprise so we will not be finding out what we are having. during the visit, our baby was supposed to only be 12 weeks based on dates of my last period etc. however, on ultrasound, the baby was bigger and when measured "crown to rump" on ultrasound according to it's size, the baby is actually 14 weeks...so my due date was moved up from aug 22nd to aug 13th.

i will share the ultrasound pictures of our little peanut as soon as i figure out how our scanner works. we have a new printer that we have yet to hook up. otherwise things are good, i'm feeling great....waves of nausea here and there when i work too much or don't sleep enough but otherwise i feel really good. i've thrown up the a total of 3 times since being pregnant. once on the plane ride and 2 times when working a back to back shift. i really have no complaints!!! my belly is protruding a lot more and i have had to take out my belly-button ring. i really haven't gained any weight, which my OB says is fine for now, but i can definitely tell my belly is poking out more and my pants are tighter....yikes!!!! so anyway, i will do my best to keep everyone posted with pictures and updates.

christmas at the rudnickis

me opening presents

dad and phill

my brother mike

opening presents on christmas eve after our traditional polish christmas dinner

the parents celebrating their 31st wedding anniverary this christmas...yes they were married dec 25th...a polish thing :) here they are opening a digital picture fram from the kids for all those memories

polish teacups with poppy flowers on them...a very traditional and common flower for poland which i love..thanks mom!!!!

the twins 21st birthday

we had a girls night out in new haven for the twins 21st birthday. we went out for a fondue dinner and dessert and then went dancing for a little while!!! it was so fun to be out with the ladies.

lindsey, lauren and me

me and the birthday girls erica and melissa