Hello from Naples!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give an update that we are all settled in (as much as is possible) in our hotel room in "The Stork's Nest" in Naples. We are literally right across the street from the hospital, and have access to the gym, exchange and commissary, and everything we could possibly need here. Though a bit tight, the room has a little kitchenette, so we are able to eat in most meals, which is nice. We also have a theater, bowling alley, and plenty of walking trails here, so we have plenty to keep us busy. Neal is still commuting back to Gaeta this week, but he will be able to be down here with me full time until the baby comes starting Saturday.

We had a doctor's appointment on Monday, which went well. We have a new female OB, so we got to meet her, and we both loved her! My blood pressure is still very low, so they are very happy with me (thank Mom for good genetics!). I am doing well on all my vitals, and the baby's heart rate was 144 - right on target. The baby is still very active these days, though it has settled into a favorite spot with legs/feet usually poking out of my left side. It's a funny sight to see the little bulges when it squirms. They verified at an earlier appointment that the head is down, so we are good there. And Monday, we got the good news that my body is already starting to prepare itself for delivery, so it could literally be any day now!

We have our list of phone numbers to call, and will get word out as soon as we can when the big day arrives. And if possible, Neal will try to find a computer to post a blog update once the baby makes its appearance. I will try to post every few days just so everyone is kept in the loop. We love you all, and can't wait to show off our little one!

Garden pictures!

As I haven't updated info about the garden, I thought maybe I should.

As of now, we've pulled all the tomatoes except the cherries (they're still producing like crazy), and I managed to get about a dozen cans of diced tomatoes out of them, as well as some really good salsa. The zucchini had slowed down, so we pulled them as well. The cucumber plant only gave us three cucumbers and then died, so we'll have to figure out what happened there. Unfortunately, even though we had friends checking in on our garden in July while we were home for a quick visit, it seemed to have a hard time while we were gone. But we knew it was a possibility.

We left the bell peppers to grow for now, as we think they were getting crowded by the zucchini. We may have been right, as they have started blooming again now. We've definitely learned for next year to give the plants about 2-3 times as much space as we think they will need, as overcrowding seemed to be the story to this year.

We have six basil plants left, and they are doing fairly well. I have to keep an eye on them, pick leaves regularly, and snip the blooms off. But they are still growing strong, and they smell great!

Lastly, Neal's butter beans are just about ready to start picking. We're still waiting on them to get just a little bit bigger. And this past weekend, we were finally able to pull the first dozen or so pods of purple-hulled peas! They look great, and we are just waiting to get enough to cook up and have a real southern dinner! We've found we have to check them every 2-3 days, as they are all starting to pop like crazy!

And here are some pictures of Neal's babies! I'll try and get more soon, as they're even bigger now!


The butter beans:

The purple-hulled peas:

A baby update!

Sorry it's been a while. After a July trip to the US for a wedding and last-chance visit with family before the baby arrives, things started to kick into high gear for us. Anyway, several people have been asking for pictures, and though I've been horrible about taking them regularly, I wanted to post a few.

As for life right now, we're steadily working on making way for this baby! We've begun clearing out our second bedroom (currently Trajan's bedroom and extra storage space), and should be getting a call on our baby furniture any day now. I've started washing baby clothes, and can't wait to have a dresser to put them all in! In doing so, I realized that this child has a ton of clothes! We may not even make it to wear everything by the time it grows out of them all! But there are some adorable ones, and some stuff I can't wait to use. Now I just have to decide what to pack in our hospital bags.

We'll be heading down to stay at a temporary lodging facility on base in Naples around mid-month. The OB likes the women who live far away (we're at least an hour from the hospital) to stay there starting at least two weeks before the due date, just in case. Neal will be commuting up to Gaeta for a week, but the last week he'll be given some time off. We will have access to a phone while there, and hopefully it will be on a military line so we can call out via a U.S. number. But either way, definitely know that we will get word out when the time comes! As for updating the blog, I'm not exactly sure when that will happen, but we'll get an email out with pictures to everyone asap!

One of the Navy spouses here is throwing us a shower Sunday, so I'll probably have more pictures to post from that. But for now, here are some of the latest:


Me, back on the 4th of July, at a local BBQ (27 weeks) ...


Picking blueberries with Mom C and the girls while in Knoxville (Karen's beside Mom, Sarah was the event photographer) ...



At the wedding in Chattanooga (July 26th, 30 weeks) ...


The belly at almost 35 weeks ...


A close-up ...

The fabric that we just had to get for a baby quilt so we can start Wee P off right!


The Navy gives new parents a gift ...


This is what was in it (including a hand-knit afghan!) ...


Our diaper bag (orange, of course) ...


Gifts from the May baby shower in the U.S. ...



More baby clothes (I'm having so much fun!) ...


Mom and Sarah's "faith" outfit, for that girl they really want! ...


And finally, our hospital/take-home outfit for Wee P ...

New garden pictures!

We finally took some new garden pictures, and I wanted to post them while I had the chance. The weeds really got crazy while I was home for a visit. Neal was transitioning into his new position, so it's taken us a while to really dig in and take care of things. Here are a few pics of what we were/are dealing with:

The "before" pic of all the weeds (it's like playing "Where's Waldo" to find the plants) ...



In progress ...


More progress ...


Hey! There are plants in there!



Here are some of the Roma tomatoes already coming in ...


Our massive zucchini plants ...


We have one cucumber vine (just got our first one Saturday) and four bell pepper plants beside the zucchini plants ...


The garden from the top, all cleaned up and staked ...


A close-up of the staked cherry tomato plants ...


We planted some butter beans this past weekend. Can't wait to see how they do ...


Our other newbies, purple-hulled peas, freshly planted ...


Our marigolds that have taken over ...


And some of the "fruits" of our labor ...




This is what we saw on the way to Rome a couple of weeks ago. We decided to take the scenic route (by accident), and found a lake!


Neal, thinking of all the fishing he could be doing ...


Me, at about 25 weeks, and with a new haircut (it keeps getting shorter!) ...


More updates to come, as we get more and more from the garden!

Hello again!

Well, Janie just got back last week from another trip home to the States for a relaxing beach vacation with the Carcello family! The annual trip to Kiawah Island, South Carolina was great fun, though I was a little disappointed that bike riding was a no-go for me this year. The doctor was a little concerned with the possibility of balance issues and me falling off, even from a beach cruiser. But overall, the beach was awesome! It was so nice to be on a U.S. beach again, where you have more than a foot between you and the next person, with tons of sand to play in, and no worries about seeing more skin than you really wanted to!

After the beach, it was back to Knoxville for a few days before I came home again. The Carcello's got a new puppy (a yellow labrador) that they named "Pearl." She's super sweet and smart, and already was doing really well with potty training before I left. She seemed so big to me though, after having Trajan who was eleven pounds at his four-month checkup! She was seventeen pounds when they got her at ten weeks!

Also while I was home, Mom was super awesome and planned a surprise baby shower for me! She had gotten all of our registry info from Neal without my knowing, and had managed to keep it all a secret! Later, everyone started telling stories of the time they "almost" let the cat out of the bag! Of course, we joke that I'm the most oblivious person around, so it probably wasn't all that difficult, but it was super sweet, and I loved it! The best part was that she made sure to invite several family members and girlfriends that I was sure I wouldn't have time to even call, much less visit with while I was home, so that was awesome! It was so great to see everyone, and I felt so blessed to have such great friends and family! And we all had tons of fun looking at the little baby clothes and toys and bedding! It's becoming more and more of a reality!

I've been back home for just over a week now, and am getting back into the swing of things. Jet lag wasn't quite as horrible this time, so that's good. Neal was promoted at work, so now he has a regular Monday through Friday schedule, and gets home most days at a reasonable hour. This has done wonders in regards to eating dinner at a normal time, and being able to spend some time together before going to bed each night. It also means that he now gets holidays off, and we have better planning ability if we want to go somewhere for fun. It's been a bit rough the first week while he's getting things settled in the new position, but this week is looking a little better, and hopefully he'll get it running smoothly. In the meantime, everyone I talk to is so glad he's in the new position, knowing that means they'll get taken care of as well, and that the department will run as efficiently as possible. Luckily, his troops love him, which makes his job so much easier!

The pregnancy is going well! No problems, nothing big to report, other than the fact that we have a very active baby coming soon! Sarah got to be the first one to feel it kick, which she is extremely proud of! Karen and Mom got to feel it immediately after her. Neal finally got to feel it the night I got back home, and several times since. It also has become more and more sensitive to outside noises now. It's kicked in response to Trajan's barking a few times before, but now it really gets moving at night when Neal and Trajan like to play. Also, last night, Neal was teasing and raspberrying my belly and it would kick in response each time.

It definitely has its favorite positions, as I always tend to get kicked in the same places, especially the sides. Most of the time, I carry it relatively low, but at night, it likes to curl up behind my belly button to sleep. And every time I readjust in the night, I feel it doing the same. It also likes to kick me first thing in the morning when Neal's getting up and ready, and I'm trying to get just a few more minutes of sleep. I used to be able to sleep in after he left for work, but now I wake up so hungry, it's hard to do.

We had another checkup last week, and all is going well and on the mark. We heard the heartbeat again, and got my belly and weight measured. The doctors say everything looks great, and I'm feeling awesome! These are apparently the "easy" appointments, with not much to do other than measure our progress and stay updated. In July, I will have to do the glucose screening test that checks for gestational diabetes, and then just a regular checkup again.

We are trying hard to keep up with the garden! The weeds went crazy while I was gone, and I'm doing a little bit each day to try and get them back under control. We also already have some zucchini babies growing, as well as a few cherry tomatoes. The basil and bell pepper plants are growing tall and strong, as are the rest of the tomatoes. We have some pea and bean seeds that we're putting out this weekend, and that should just about do it. I may pick up some more herbs here and there, but I think we'll have enough to keep up with in what we've got for now. I'll post pictures after we clean up a bit more this weekend.

And now, for some pictures:

Janie on the boardwalk at Kiawah Island on our last day there (Sarah took this picture!) ...



Karen and Sarah and their newest family member ...



Neal, on a recent golfing day we took with Steve and Mikelauren ...



On the putting green ...



The biggest zucchini I've ever seen (it came from a friend's garden, not ours) ...

New sonogram pictures!

So Wednesday was our "big" sonogram at 19 weeks. We decided not to find out the sex of the baby (it will remain Wee P until birth), but we saw plenty of other cool things! Unfortunately, the baby is now too big for the entire body to fit in the picture, but we have lots of pictures of hands, feet, etc.

The techs said the baby is looking great, all body parts accounted for and healthy, and weighs about 13 ounces now! They updated our due date to be September 25th, so we're now 20 weeks as of yesterday (Thursday)! We're halfway there! The baby was really cooperative, only moving around a little bit during the 1.5 hour procedure!

Pictures are up!

I finally posted our pictures on our Shutterfly website: http://nealandjaniephillips.shutterfly.com. I've emailed the password out in our blog email, but if you don't get it, email me at janiephillips@gmail.com, and I'll send it to you and add you to the blog list. Enjoy!

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!

15 weeks and the belly's already expanding!