Mother-Wife-Student

I Simply Remember My Favorite Things.....

2011-02-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

"and then I don't feel.....soo bad."

That's right folks!

It's my favorite things post!
WITH pictures :)

ZZUMMBBAA!!

I have done Zumba a few times at this really interesting hole in the wall of a studio. My friend Andrea introduced me to the place, and of course, I've always wanted to try Zumba. Even though I worked at the YMCA, and had full access to a gorgeous gym, pool, and unlimited classes, I never went to Zumba!! The place is called Cardiolix, and has only one studio for all the classes. It's obviously a small place, but it's great.

Great place!!

MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SHOW!!!!! I'm addicted.

This is where I work...the BEST place ever :)

That would be Mrs. Minnesota Intl, or ... whatever. Oops. This was from the Grand Opening almost a year ago.

This would be my ultimate guilty pleasure...

I cannot begin to describe how much I LOVE this sorbet. It's just perfect!

Oh dear.....the monster (aka Sophia) just did the deed (aka dirty diaper). Must snap into Mama Mode....

I promise to return with more favorites!!!

Holy Smokes Folks

2011-02-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

It has been wayyy too long since this thing has been updated!

I have more than enough time now to keep up with this, and I will make it my duty to put aside an hour or two, update this bad boy, and keep in touch!

Sophia Annalie Pici was born October 14th, 2010, 15:15pm, at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis MN. She weighed 9lbs 2oz, and was 20.5in long. The surgeon said I gave birth to a "linebacker!" And she was!

She is now 4 months old as of the 14th of February. She had her 4 month shots, which she hated, understandably. To me, she is the epitome of perfection. She makes me laugh when I don't feel like it, she makes me smile on a rough day, she is always learning something new every day. She keeps me company, sane, and makes me realize that the world isn't so bad.

Antonio is deploying this Spring. I'm not sure how it will go being a first time mom and single for a year. Single mom, that is. The folks are in Florida now for the most part. I'm deathly afraid of being up here in this place by myself with little miss, but I know it's something I'll just have to grow up and deal with. It's happening, inevitable, but I'm determined to make it a great learning experience. I do try to look at it positively, I do, but I have my days like any other human being.

Friends have come and gone in my life over the past couple of years. Some, I'm sad to have drifted apart from..others I couldn't give a rats tush about. Having a child really does hamper friendships sometimes. Some friends are still living the single, crazy, party lifestyle. I've never been a party girl. Never found it to be worth my time at all. Those friends were easy to drop. Others have drifted for other reasons...the military lifestyle, differences of opinions, stupid arguments that I let get the best of our relationship, etc., etc. Those friends, I miss like none other.

Let's talk about family...I love mine. I have 3 wonderful brothers, two great parents, both sets of grandparents, cousins...LOTS of cousins, aunts and uncles galore, and a wonderful niece. All are doing well. I know they'd do anything for myself and Sophia, and I am eternally grateful for them.

My in-laws are just as great, really. They're all hilarious people, helpful, full of pride, and at times..the biggest know-it-all people you could meet. We do not live near them...we are quite far, actually. It bothers me a lot to know that my daughter will more than likely not meet some of her Aunts and Uncles for years. Even her Nonno Pici has yet to meet her. While I understand completely the distance plays a great role, it still gets to me. Antonio often thinks of switching from the MN guard to the FL guard..just so his family would/could keep in touch more often.

Life is a work in progress, this I know. I know that it will continue to be a work in progress long after I am gone. Having Sophia has really changed the way I look at some things, life included. She has changed the way I look at humanity, life, family, love, friendships, myself, and Antonio.

I wouldn't have her any other way.

In closing of today's blog....
Life is going alright!

36 Week Update and Photo's!

2010-09-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

I know this is late and I apologize!!
We had our 36 week appt. and ultrasound almost two weeks ago and it went great.
The Dr. was a little busy so he didn't really tell us the heartbeat this time or any other updates besides the baby is head down and should be here anytime now.

Here are some pictures though to please the eye. I have labeled them just in case you have a hard time seeing the features. At this point, the Dr. said being so far along, you either get really lucky and get a good view of the face or you get unlucky and get some features mixed in with a queso cheese look! Haha! We have a little bit of both. Since the baby was so far head down though, the facial pictures are a little bit harder to see.

I'll start with the 2D images first.

This baby has some long bones!

Baby booty!!

Femur!

This is the shoulder bone!!

Nice set of ribs!

Now for the 4D images!!

Our next appt. is 9/28/2010 and I'll be two days shy of 38 weeks. I'm feeling every bit of ready to have this baby and have my normal comforts back like laying down on my back/stomach, eating foods that don't cause heartburn all the time, bending down to pick something up rather than squatting, etc. etc. Cannot wait to meet the baby!!

32 Weeks Update

2010-08-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!!

I'll be 32 weeks this Thursday the 19th and that means only 6-8 more weeks left!!
We've been told the baby can come anytime within two weeks of my expected due date so as of right now we know 6-8 weeks is what's to be expected. At 36 weeks we will know much more because I believe we will have our final ultrasound then. We have just about everything ready for her minus a few things, but luckily we still have time to get them. We had a regular appointment with our doctor a couple weeks ago just to check on the baby and ask questions. The baby's heart rate was 133bpm, which is lower than normal but the Doc said the baby was most likely resting. We got to record the heart beat and it was so neat because 8 seconds in, the baby moved and we heard a loud "Buh Bump." The Doc started laughing because after the baby moved he lost the heartbeat but at least we got it on recording with the movement! He said it's rare to record a movement so we thought that was awesome. I had my second Diabetes screen for Gestational Diabetes come back, and I'm perfectly healthy and in the average range. Awesome news!!! Our next appointment will be on the 24th for 33.5 weeks..random number, I know. After that we'll have one at 36 weeks, two weeks later, and then we go every week from then on! I think then, it'll all be more real.

This baby is a mover and a groover though. There isn't one day where there hasn't been movement. I've noticed the sleeping patterns which is pretty neat. Unfortunately I doubt they'll stay this way. I say unfortunately because he/she has a GREAT sleeping pattern right now! Goes to sleep around 10PM and doesn't really move again until 7-8AM. Sometimes there is the occasional roll at 2 AM which awakes me, but I can deal with that. He/She loves to roll, punch, kick, etc etc whenever the chance is given. I find if I bend over to far as if to pick something up, I get a shove because apparently I'm taking up some precious living room! Luckily though, the baby is still head down and face up, so the kicking happens to my stomach and not my ribs. I've heard some horror stories about women getting bruised/cracked/broken ribs from their little chunks. Not pleasant. The only issue we've had so far is the baby will roll back a certain way and I feel pressure out of nowhere on my bladder and immediately have to pee. That's quite annoying.

Well, I'd say that's about all the updates thus far.
I will post again after the next appointment and we shall see how everything goes!

26 Wk Appt and Other Updates!

2010-07-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

So our 26 wk appt was just for the u/s technician to take another good look at the baby's anatomy. Last time at 20 wks, she couldn't get a great look at the baby's heart so this time since the baby is much bigger, she was able to get a lot of good views.

Some funny little updates
-The baby is STILL head down; has been for about 11 weeks that we know of.
-The baby was head down AND face down so the booty is right up in my chest!
-Baby finally rolled over and was face down but head up. The technician went to look at the hands and feet to make sure all digits were in place. The baby sprawled out a hand, got a great picture of that. The foot is a little blurry, but all digits are there!!
-We then saw THE FUNNIEST thing ever. The baby's legs were crossed so we got a great view of his/her butt, thighs, and legs. Let me tell you, those were THE cutest baby thighs I've seen in a womb! :) Such a little chunk!!

We didn't get measurements this time, but we are still on track..could be as early as two weeks though so we're looking at anywhere between October 1st-14th they said. Obviously, we have more appts to go, so I'm sure the date will be more finalized later (well, as much as it can be).

Here are some images of baby Pici!

Stretch that little baby hand!! Look Mama, all 5 fingers!!

Check out my foot :) (Kind of blurry)

Side profile. He/She was moving so it's blurred.

If you look at an angle...tilt your head to the right, you'll see the features perfectly.

Eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, forehead. Everything. Cutie!! Such a little person already!

Now for some exciting pictures of the crib and changer!!!

Our crib/changer!! We can lower it down two more notches for a toddler too!!

The inside of the crib. Our jungle theme!

The changer with the baby blanket in it

262 Diapers from Dan and Beth to get us started! Thank you!!

They're a perfect fit inside the changer's cabinet!

However, good ole advice from Pops says cloth diapers might become our

new best friend!.....!

Drawer full of random goodies

Nice pink girl clothing thanks to Jamie....tell ya what, a boy would look

mighty fine in pink!! Bwahaha

Jungle themed diaper hamper!

Some more random goodies.

Well folks, that about does it for updates on the baby. Now, I know we still have 2.5-3 months left in this pregnancy, and some of you (cough*cough DAD) question our super happy baby syndrome, but luckily the only thing we, ourselves have purchased, is the crib/changer. All the bedding/Jungle theme came from Dan and Beth (including the diapers) and the clothing are all gifts :) We've gotten lucky so far! I'm not above hand-me-downs so I gladly accept gently used clothing from friends/family. My parents got us a cute teething toy and some much needed advice so far, along with Tonio's rents/family. Thanks to Jamie we're set up to 9 months on girl clothing haha. We only have a few boy things thus far but we just might get lucky! Thank you Christine for all the maternity clothing as well! Definitely nice not to have to spend so much on clothing that will only fit for a certain amount of time! Then comes the exercise regiment!!

On another note, we did move into this place called Grand Pre East in Little Canada, MN and we absolutely love it! I shall post pictures once we have finished putting away all the little things. Our most favorite part of the new place though is the balcony. It's one gorgeous balcony!! This place is twice the size of our old place, which is a breath of fresh air. The last place had NO room for the baby and it was quite frightening to think about being pregnant in that little bit of space, let alone having a baby stored (yes, I said stored) in there. Stored because that's exactly what we'd be doing, storing everything!

Pictures of the place will come soon!!

Crystal, Antonio, and the babe.

20 Week Appt. Update!

2010-05-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Say hello to baby Pici!! Here are some more pictures with an update at the bottom :) Enjoy!

Update: Our baby weighed at about 13 oz. and measured at around 10.5 inches from head to foot. The anatomy looked great! I'm measuring right on time with my due date which is awesome! We go back at 25 weeks for another check of the heart and get some different angles than we did today. The baby wasn't exactly cooperating as usual ;) He/She started off calm and was hiccuping in the beginning. Then came the stretching, flailing of arms, and tossing and turning! All was calm and perfect when just looking at the baby, however when it came time for measurements, the baby was a handful again! Haha. The tech nearly slipped and said the sex ;) We're going with GIRL! Haha. So keep that pink dust in your thoughts!! I'm down a pound from our 16 week appt which is FANTASTIC!! So far I've stayed in a 3 lb gain range which is great and now I'm down to only 2 so let's keep it up baby!! Hopefully he/she won't be HUGE like Antonio was....10 lbs 8 oz I think?? Heck no!

Anyway,
We're really excited and cannot wait for our 25 week appt. to see the baby again!

Love,
Crystal and Antonio and the Fetus

The Lake

2010-04-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

So we went to the lake house with family last weekend and had an incredible time. Here are some pictures from the weekend :)

This is Jamie and Marc trying to fish but alas, no luck of course.

This is Marc getting the canoe ready!

Jamie was super excited to go!!

Antonio got a hold of the 4wheeler..Oh No...

Everything was so calm on the water

Antonio would live out here peacefully, no questions asked.

And now, the sun has set.

So the only proper thing to do, is set a fire :)

Honestly, who wouldn't love to wake up to this view?!

Jamie and Elly! Good morning!

Makings of a Perfect Day

2010-04-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

1.Woke up to coffee brewing :)

2.Had a delicious bagel with Can't Believe it's Not Butter

3.Watching 16 & Pregnant (These girls are some mature ..for the most part..women for their age)

4.Picking husband up from Drill in a couple hours.

5.Heading over to the lake house with family because it is absolutely gorgeous outside!!

This is the view from inside the lake house...when it was winter.

And this is the view from the dock with good ole Chance guarding the fishies in the spring!

-Thanks to Sarah for the pictures ;)

Baby Pici!!

2010-04-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

So....
Antonio and I are expecting our first child together October 14th, 2010.

Currently, I am 13 wks and 2 days along and am loving every minute of it. (For the most part)
Antonio is so great with helping me through my nausea and being there for me when I need him. He is probably the best person to go through this with, I couldn't imagine anyone else really.

On Thursday at our 13 wk appt, we got a sonogram of our bouncing trouble maker!

The baby was all over the place and was cracking the ultrasound technician up because the baby wouldn't stay still! Finally after about 10-15 minutes, she measured the baby's heart rate at 156bpm and was able to get only one decent photo out of the visit. Even in this picture though, our baby is clearly covering his/her face. That little booger.

We plan on keeping the baby's gender a surprise by the way!!
More updates to come!

It's Been a Long Time Folks

2010-01-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Well, as the subject says it's been forever since I've posted a blog on here. Life got in the way. My father retired from the Army but took his old boss's job at USSOCOM, Antonio and I got married, he put in his papers to go Active Duty and say GOOD RIDDANCE! to the Guard, I started back at school Full-Time, and we're now waiting to hear about when we're getting outta MN!

I've stared back up Full-Time at AMU (American Military Univiversity) and am loving it thus far. It is only day 2 so let's not get me to hopefull HaHa. My class-mates are some amazing men and women. Most are in the service trying to finish their degrees when time allows. There is the occasional spouse, which is really nice. I'm taking 4 courses. They are as follows:
       1. Criminal Profiling
      2. Criminalistics
      3. Firearms Forensics Investigations
      4. Blood-Stain Pattern Analysis

Needless to say, I've got plenty of work cut out for me, yet this is my dream since I was 6 years old so there is no time like the present!

Being married..if I can be honest, does not feel different. We still talk to each other as much as before, are just as crazy about each other, and do the same things as before. Major differences are that we file taxes jointly and share a last name. Oh and I do get to refer to him as my Sexy Husband now. :) Always a plus I suppose! We've already been married half a year..which to some of you folks is nothing I'm sure. I'd say the same about other people, yet I'm sure we have all thought at one point, "Wow, it's already been half a year, or a year!" Time flies when you're having fun.

Found out one of my great friends from HS just got married to her sweetheart of 6 years and they're getting stationed at Ft. Campbell. So naturally, we're praying we get there as well. I also have a great friend of 8 years who is married with a newborn baby and is stationed at Ft. Stewart, GA. Her husband just deployed and she has no family with her so I feel a bit torn between the two duty stations. As always though, we go with the needs of the Army so fingers crossed for either!

Hope everyone's holidays and New Years were great and safe!!
Hubs and I just stayed home enjoying each others company and making lots of midnight calls to friends and family.

I'm SO Horrible!!!

2009-05-31T15:45:00.001-07:00

This was taken about a week ago from our balcony here in downtown. What made me take this picture was the lonely little cloud out there in the distance. I thought it so humorous and first, but then there was something poetic about it. (Wow, did I just say that?!) Granted, there are other clouds yes, but this was the only fluffy white cotton ball one. (Forgive my lack of scientific knowledge of cloud names..Cumulonimbus and all that.) Innywho, I thought it was a neat picture with the way the sun was setting too.

So, my attempt (or lack thereof) to take a picture every day has been kicking my butt!
I started working nearly every day out of nowhere which threw me off. My pictures sadly would only be of work work work! There is absolutely NO fun in that.
So...I'm really going to try to keep this up. Maybe I should change the title to just..pictures of my life..Semi-daily. (Ha)
I thought it would be so easy like last time..then I remembered the last time I did this was 4 years ago, in HS for an English Project. I wasn't working, wasn't in a relationship, and was not living on my own. Little did I know how all those little things would play a big factor in my free time!!
Lord knows what throwing a kid in there will be like! Agh I salute all you Momma's out there!!!
So today is just a day to vent and say OOPS for not posting pictures.
From now on, it will be..whatever strikes me to take a picture of it, will be posted. I might be a few days late posting it, but bet your bottom dollar I'll get back on it!!!

Day 9 (Memorial Day)

2009-05-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well in light of today, this seems appropriate. Granted it isn't a picture, but that's only because the festivities haven't begone!! I will post more pictures later as usual.
We need to take time to remember those who have fought and sacrificed all for us so that we may have our BBQ's and enjoy our time together. Today is the time to remember not only those who have gone before us, but the families that have lost their loved ones. This is our time to honor them as well. We must not forget those who have paved the way for our freedom.

Day 8

2009-05-24T07:40:00.001-07:00

Well judging by the scenery around it, and the lack of cars...how much you want to bet it's closed!! I stopped to get gas a little ways out of town and saw this building next to the gas station. So when I looked closer, I saw the sign for an Army Navy store. Which I always think is hilarious that they combine the two!! lol Innywho, there were no cars at all at the surplus store and it was after 10 that I went. I figured it would have been open!

Day 6 & 7

2009-05-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Day 6
We went to a park here off Rice Street which is so gorgeous. It's along this huge lake, along a golf course, so many other parks along it, and gorgeous birds and trees. I thought this was cute. We actually found it this way too which was cute. They're usually all messed up and not what you would think for tic-tac-toe lol However, this also reminds me of XOXO.
Innywho, I was intrigued so I took the picture!!

Day 7
This is from our visit to the Minnesota State Zoo & Aquarium.
This dolphin was SO curious the whole time. I took about 8 snapshots of this dolphin who always came back to the same window and just "hovered" there if you will.
Occasionally a second one would swim by as well. So neat!! I absolutely love aquariums.

So I'm a horrible person!!

I got so incredibly busy and missed Fri, and Sat!!

I will post them here now.

Day 5

2009-05-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

So speaking of weather. Turning out to be such a strange day. The view was gorgeous, just very eerie is all. This is the view from my Pop's place. He's off at Ft. Lewis playing soldier, and needs a cat-sitter while he's away. I suppose this could be another way how the military affects me. This is probably the 3rd time I've had to take care of his place this month alone. Yet, I love doing it. He did so much for my mom and myself growing up that I feel obligated (but gladly) to help him out with whatever he needs. My mom had hoped that when he took the SRAAG job, he wouldn't be traveling nearly as much. Yet, he leaves nearly every other week. She's definitely ready for him to get out. She misses him that's for sure. I have so much respect and admiration for all she's gone through as a mil spouse. She herself was an Army brat growing up and therefor knows both ends as I do now. She always told me about Somalia and how all they had were letters. Nothing but letters. Some months she only received one. I can't imagine how war would be these days without the technology we have.
This picture is just a mirroring of the mood lately.
Just gotta look to the sunset to know tomorrow will be hopefully be better.

Mil Appreciation Night @ Saints Game-Pictures

2009-05-20T08:04:00.001-07:00

Day 4

2009-05-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

So after a couple days of strange weather and yesterday being SO hot..I thought it'd be neat to post this picture.
We've always loved our downtown apt. view because of all the people watching we get to do...
This however has to be one of the coolest views we've had since living here.
I haven't seen rainbow's like that since being stationed in Hawaii.
You can almost see two rainbows.
They were those huge arch ones too which was extremely gorgeous to look at.
Wonder what tomorrow will bring?!

Day 3

2009-05-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

So this picture wasn't exactly taken...
The reason for this picture is because tonight I'm going to a St. Paul Saints baseball game!
Myself, Antonio, and my parents will be attending.
It's Military Appreciation night so there were great deals...and obviously great company.
I'll probably come back to this post and add pictures from the game though..so don't fret.
Reminds me of America's favorite pastime.
Hot Dogs, Beer, Peanuts, Cotton Candy, Pretzels, and a good ole game of Baseball.
Life does not get much better than that folks.

Day 2

2009-05-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

So Day 2 is a pretty obvious picture. We went to the park and it was FREEZING outside.
I can't believe it's the middle of May and in the 50's.
Only in Minnesota!!
I decided to use this picture just because it reminds me to laugh.
Things can get pretty hectic and we often lose sight of the little things.
Making silly adolescent faces and having fun are the best little things out there.
Live.Laugh.Love
All Day, Every Day

Day One-365 Day Project

2009-05-17T12:27:00.001-07:00

This is baby Kendall.
She is my brand new niece of almost 2 months.
I decided to use her as my day 1 for numerous reasons.
First is because I just found out that I'm an Aunt.
Second is because he is my older brothers little girl.
Finally, I just spoke to my older brother for the first time in 10 years 3 days ago.
With all of this being such a miracle, why not start off with one?!