Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Another trip to the Amalfi Coast


Last week, we got to have Tiffany, one of my best friends from back home, stay with us! We had tons of fun, did lots of walking, and lots of catching up! It was a great visit, and she got to see Rome, Pompei, the Amalfi Coast, and a few local spots. It was great to have a friend visiting again, and we had fun showing her around. We even spent three days in Rome, shopping and sight-seeing. The weather cooperated for the most part, as there were only a couple of rainy days, and we had planned to be down on those days anyway.

We got lots of pictures of the Amalfi Coast again, and this time Neal got to come too, so we had loads of fun! We drove through Maiori, Amalfi, and Positano, but didn't make it to Sorrento. Neal and I are planning on hitting Sorrento on one of his days off soon.

On the pregnancy front, we are now at 18 weeks as of this past Monday - almost halfway! Wee P started making his/her presence known last week while Tiffany was here, and has not stopped since! Not a day goes by that I don't feel the bubbles of movement. S/he is especially active first thing in the morning and after I eat. But I joke that I must have swallowed a goldfish because it feels like I have one swimming around in my belly!

We've now had our third doctor's appointment, and everything is going smoothly! My blood pressure is excellent, the baby's heart rate is strong, and I've only gained a net of about 2 pounds overall, so we're right on track. Our next sonogram is next week, and we'll definitely post pictures from that one. We're very impatient to see our little one again, although we have finally decided that we're not going to find out the sex before the birth. We really look forward to finding out the day of the birth, and hearing the "It's a ... !" As so many have said, there are so few good surprises in life, and this is definitely one that we'll love! So bets are on now as to what we're having, weight, dates, etc. lol! Mom Carcello said knowing the genes on both sides, we could even take bets on hair color, as there's just no telling with brunettes, blondes, and redheads in the family!

Neal has this weekend off, so we'll be doing lots of playing in the garden! Janie's carrots finally came up this last week, so we can finally till it all up to start planting. We're already planning out what we want to grow, and how we're going to do it. At this point, we definitely want to do tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, beans, lettuce, onions, and some herbs. We'll definitely be busy, but it's so much fun! We also still have some cilantro and parsley in planters already growing strong, as well as some baby tomato slicers started and ready to transplant.

Anyway, here are some pictures from this last week:


Janie's carrots, ready to be cleaned, cut, and canned.


Sleepy Trajan, in his favorite place, sleeping beside Daddy as he works on school.


Springtime at the Spanish steps in Rome


Look what we saw on the way home from Rome! Neal almost lost it!


A little fruit stand on the Amalfi Coast


This is actually a restaurant that we ate at while driving around Amalfi



This was the view from lunch!


And on Tiff's side...


The baby bump, at 17 weeks, in Positano...


One of the local artists, painting on the beach of Positano



I'll post all of the pictures, and post the link later!