baby shower!

At nearly 8.5 months pregnant (33 weeks), I had my baby shower this past weekend. It was such a great time! From Thursday night until Sunday afternoon, we had a house full of family and friends. Sure, I was deliriously exhausted by Sunday night, but it was worth it!

Friday night we had pizza and beer at the house while everyone started coming into town. The big surprise Friday afternoon was my step-mom and step-sister who showed up at the house! My best friend Heather, her husband and little girl Isabella also arrived. The last time I saw Isabella, she was about one month old and she's now almost one year! I included a cute picture of little Bella eating spinach.

The shower was Saturday afternoon and took place at a beautiful historic bed and breakfast in a nearby town. The rain that we had all evening and morning cleared in time for the shower and made for a sunny, blue-sky afternoon. The incredible lunch was topped off by an array of fruit and cake served with chocolate fondue, but even more exciting for me was the bucket of crushed ice! One of my few pregnancy cravings (aside from donuts and cherry coke) has been crushed ice. The gift opening was fun-- lots of "awwww" and "how cute!" comments, and plenty of laughs. Everyone who came was asked to bring a favorite child's book for the baby and to explain why it was meaningful. We had a lot of fun revisiting our own childhood memories with the books people brought. Jason and I are grateful for the wonderful things we received and we are touched by the thoughtfulness of so many people.


Since there were so many out-of-towners in for the weekend, we had everyone over to the house on Saturday night for some traditional, down-home Southern barbecue. Plenty of ribs, pork sandwiches, beer and peach cobbler to go around!

Jason and I spent Sunday afternoon catching up on sleep and putting baby toys together. We were amazed at the functions on some of these baby toys-- I'm not sure who they will entertain more! Thanks again to everyone-- we can't wait to see you all (and those who weren't able to make it) after the baby is born!

Jason is an Ironman!

On Sunday, April 9, after 15 hours and 13 minutes, Jason became an Ironman! Despite the intense Arizona heat and some major complications during the bike portion which forced him to walk nearly all of the 26.2 miles of the marathon, Jason completed the race and very proudly wears the title of "Ironman Finisher."
And, not to go unnoticed, Jason's parents and I completed the event of "Iron-spectating." We were at the race course around 5:30 a.m. and didn't leave until around 11:30 p.m. Of course, there's no medal for that accomplishment! You can see a few pics here, but if you want to see some video clips, go to www.putfile.com/caraterreri.

We all had an awesome time in Arizona and are happy to be back home with the Ironman behind us and Baby T to look forward to. Seeing the race reminded me of how much I miss triathlon, so I look forward to getting back into [light] training after the baby is born. Jason plans to do another Ironman... but not for at least a few years! Being a new daddy is his next major event!

An update and some pics

I know it's been a while since my last post, but there just hasn't been too much to write about! Yes, I AM getting bigger (by the minute), but you expected that, right?

Anyway, a couple weekends ago, I went to my future sister in-law's bridal shower up in Blacksburg, VA. Jason's brother DJ and his bride-to-be Heather are getting married on July 22, and Jason and I are both in the wedding. It's not unlike the Terreri family to have a new baby and a wedding within a month of each other! Jason's mom, his sister Kim and I all drove up for Heather's shower and had a great time. I've included a few pics from the weekend.

Look for my next update the week after Jason's Ironman on April 9!

3rd trimester check in...

Thought I'd drop a few lines as today is the beginning of the last leg of my pregnancy! Thanks to everyone who submitted their guesses for the baby pool-- don't forget to post if you haven't already! After reading everyone's predictions, it looks like we have a 50/50 chance of having a boy or girl. :)

Let's see, what's new to report... Well, after searching for all of the perfect pieces, the nursery is finished. Jason tells me I'm not allowed to buy anything else for the nursery (sure thing, dear!). We purchased our first big baby item-- the Pack 'n Play. This is the Swiss Army knife of baby items-- it's a bassinet, crib, changing table and playpen all in one! Even comes with a vibrating mattress (not coin-operated).

The baby is moving all the time, and the movements are pretty intense. I'm constantly staring at or feeling my stomach trying to determine which part of the baby is moving. Every day it's the same thing, and yet it doesn't cease to entertain me! I'm really excited to meet this baby!

The other big news is that Jason's Ironman is now officially one month away! On April 9, Jason will cover 140.6 miles of Arizona terrain to hear the words, "You are the Ironman!" His training has come a long way and he is now at the peak of some of his hardest work outs-- ie, 100mi bike rides followed by a long run on the weekends. And yes, it's true-- while my waistline has been expanding, Jason is now a shell of his former self and looks incredible!

I've included a belly pic for your viewing entertainment. I imagine by now that you are sick of seeing pregnancy pictures and ready to see baby pictures. Me too! Soon enough... 91 days to be exact!

Baby Pool -- post your prediction!

Since everyone seems to have an idea about what this baby is going to be, I thought it would be fun to start a "Baby Pool." Here's how it works: post a comment (click on the comment link at the bottom of this posting) with your prediction on Baby T's sex, birth date and weight. Don't forget to sign your name to your prediction! Sorry folks, but this baby pool isn't being played for money... However, whoever comes closest to the actual stats will receive a special present from Jason & I.

Here's some background info that may or may not help you make your guess. I have been given two different due dates-- June 8 and June 15. Jason was 11lbs, 7oz and was born a little more than two weeks late. I was 7lbs, 7oz and was nearly three weeks late. However, my doctor won't let me go any longer than 41 weeks (before inducing), which would be June 22. And for those of you who believe in old wives' tales: the baby's heart rate has consistently been in the mid 150s; I'm carrying low; I've had no morning sickness; and I'm craving sweet things.

Good luck!

6 months already?!

I am 24 weeks pregnant today-- wow, how time flies. Everyone said it would, and now I'm really starting to believe it! The baby is kicking, squirming and rolling all the time now. S/he is most active after dinner and in the wee hours of the morning. I still have a feeling that this baby is a girl, but in all of my dreams lately it has been a boy. Who knows? As Jason says, "it's a baby." According to my weekly baby e-mail, this picture shows how big s/he is. I've received these emails every week since day one, but this one made me pause-- I can't believe the baby is so big!

The last couple of days have felt like spring, which makes me realize just how close June is! When I'm out walking the dogs and I see other families and mothers with their children, it dawns on me that in the not-so-distant future, that will be me! The dogs are not going to be so happy when I start taking walks with the baby, but unfortunately, a stroller and two bassets will be more than I can handle! Oh well, they still have their dog park.


I'm still feeling pretty good pregnant... well, except when dealing with a severely distended stomach after meals-- I swear sometimes it feels like I will pop! I can't even imagine what this is going to feel like in a couple months. For now though, I'm still smiling.

it's official....

The only thing I can see on the floor is my dog-- my feet are gone! At 23 weeks, I'm really starting to look and feel pregnant. Friends and family who have already gone down this road tell me, "Just wait!" Thanks guys! Jason and I went to a Superbowl party on Sunday and after telling a friend of ours that I was due in June, he proceeded to ask, "So, are you going to get much bigger?" Nice! With 4+ months to go, I just might grow a little! What will he be saying then??

Really though, I can't complain-- the last five and a half months have been a real breeze. Lets just hope parenthood is as easy (ha!). Apart from my growing protrusion, the only other thing that's changing right now is my appetite-- yikes! This baby likes to eat!

10 fingers, 10 toes!

This morning was the big ultrasound and all went very well! The technician was able to tell us that baby has all of its fingers and toes, the heart is functioning normally, and all of the organs look great! He/she is 1.1 lb and around 11 inches in length. And, NO, we did NOT find out the sex!! Much to some peoples' disappointment, the gender will remain a mystery until June! Oh yeah, and the doctor also pointed out that I am about 1 week ahead of my original due date-- new due date is June 8. Jason and I celebrated the appointment with breakfast at the Original Pancake House...mmmm.....

Here are some of the famous, fuzzy grey and white ultrasound photos. The first one is cute little Baby T's profile and the second one is Baby T's foot.

crib inspectors

Before we put the baby in the crib, it was really important for us to test it out--especially since we don't know if all of the directions were followed when it was put together! ;-)

The dogs were more than happy to be our guinea pigs.

visitors

We had a house full of fun visitors this weekend! On Saturday, Grandpa Don, Grandma Bonnie, Aunt Nellie and Uncle Rich came up for a visit-- and they brought all kinds of goodies! Apart from the Barq's Red Creme Soda and the zagnuts (things I've been craving!), they also brought Baby T's crib. Certified engineers Grandpa and Rich put the crib together-- first without reading instructions; the second time around after reading the instructions... We also received a special gift from Nellie and Rich-- it's in the picture below. It's a 3-in-1 wooden rocking horse, child's desk and high chair. Very cute!

Like most of our family members that come to visit, we put Grandpa and Rich to work in the house. While they were here, they installed a new faucet, figured a solution to our front drainage problem (can you guys come back to help dig the drain??) and taught Jason how to "water witch" to find buried water lines. Saturday night, we ordered in for pizza and played a card game of Oh Sh-t. If it wasn't for the cheaters--you know who you are-- I think I might have won!

It was a great weekend-- below are some pics.

20 weeks!!

Today marks the half-way point-- only 20 more weeks to go!! That sounds like a lot, but I'm amazed that five months have gone by already! In the beginning it seemed like pregnancy was going soooo slooowwww. Now June is just around the corner! So far, the pregnancy has been an absolute breeze and very enjoyable. No morning sickness, no hormonal outrages (Jason's SO thankful), and no 2 a.m. cravings for pickles and ice cream. The only real big cravings I've had are for sweets, like donuts and Cinnabon, root beer and milk. I think I'm averaging about a gallon of milk/week or more! Oh, and my after-dinner snack for the past three weeks has been a bowl of cereal!

One note to add is that the baby was up nearly all last night partying! It was non-stop kicks, rolls and punches. Especially from the hours of 4 a.m. - 7 a.m. At one point, I sat up and watched my stomach change shape and bounce up and down. Feeling him/her never gets old-- it's so awesome!

we have a nursery!!

After hours of painting (thanks to Barbara & Hugh!), new carpet installation, new closet shelves and a chair rail (master-carpenter Jason), we have a nursery. It's still lacking in furniture and decor, but we still have a few months!

then.... and now!

While I'm not "as big as a house" yet, I thought it would be fun for you to see my progression.


Here's the belly at 12 weeks....










And here's me at nearly 20 weeks.....






The most exciting thing these days are feeling baby kicks-- very cool. He/she is very active and surprisingly strong! Just the other day, Jason got to feel the kicks! His reaction: "whoa. that's weird."

Welcome to our site!

With baby on the way, Jason and I thought it would be a good idea to create a site where family and friends can go for updates and pictures. While I can't promise that you'll find any insightful, revolutionary thoughts or ideas on this site, I will try my best to post regular updates.

So, check back as often as you like and feel free to add comments!

PS: Only 142 days left until Baby T's due date-- June 15, 2006. Oh yeah, and Jason would like to add that there are only 75 more days until the Ironman!!



Love, Jason & Cara