On my birthday (in May) I was getting a pedicure and woman who was doing it told me she was a 'little bit psychic'. I smiled politely. What can you really say to that? She smiled back and said "You have one baby already. It's a girl. Yes?" I told her yes, she was right. Then she pointed to my belly, which was still pretty tiny at that point and said, "That one is a boy." Again I smiled politely and said something along the lines of "we'll see!"
I came home and told my mom and husband about my psychic pedicurist and we all had a good laugh about it. If she was right, cool! And if she wasn't, well, it was still a great story.
The belly at 20 weeks 6 days
As soon as I found out I was pregnant I calculated when I'd be 20 weeks and when we'd find out the gender of baby #2. I realized it was right around Father's Day and immediately started planning the gender reveal party/Father's Day Bar-B-Que.
I found a baker who understood the whole gender reveal thing and agreed to make us a cake without ruining the surprised. I gave her carte blanche on the design of the cake.
On June 11th, Jon & I went for the anatomy scan and it was wonderful. We got to see our beautiful baby for over an hour. He/She was wiggling all around and the tech was able to get all of the pictures she needed. She talked us through the whole thing, pointing out arms and legs, and being careful to only say "baby". He/she is healthy and we were so thrilled. Then, at the end, she was quiet for a few minutes and I could tell she was looking for the "goods". I was looking too, but was totally unsure of what I was seeing. She saw what she needed, wrote down the gender and sealed it in an envelope for us.
I had that envelope in my possession for over 24 hours and I didn't peek! The next day I dropped it off to the baker, and patiently waited for June 16th.
Gia giving Daddy the gift she made him at preschool
And then the day was here! We had a wonderful family bar-be-que celebrating all the dads. Throughout the day we asked everyone to vote: boy or girl.
The results were overwhelmingly boy 15 to 6!
And at dessert time, we cut into a gorgeous cake, waiting to see if the filling inside was blue or pink! (The outside is blue like the sky (get it--Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...) but it's the inside that matters...)
We both had knives and we each made a cut, with Gia watching very closely...
I love this picture...
It's a BOY!!!!!!
Can you tell that I'm excited?!
There were lots of cheers and excitement and kisses and hugs. It was an amazing moment and a priceless memory to have. Less than 24 hours later and it really hasn't sunk in for Jon and I though--we're going to have a son in a few short months! We're so used to dresses and hair bows and princesses and tea parties, and now we get to switch gears to trucks and trains and footballs. It's going to be an awesome ride!
Remember that book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? Well I want to write a book called "Gia and the Wonderful, Amazing, Almost Perfect, Super Fun Day".
The day of Gia's show and graduation was the most gorgeous day ever weather wise and it was also one of the best days in general. It was full of fun and life and love. Unfortunately Jon had mandatory training and couldn't make it to her show. But we wanted to do something fun and special with her as a family to celebrate that day. So, when Daddy got home, we hopped in the car headed to Ochs Orchard in Warwick, NY to go strawberry picking.
Gia was so excited to pick! I'm not sure if she remembered what it was like from last year or if it was just her love for strawberries that fueled the excitement. Either way, my girl was so happy to be outside in a field of fruit.
Jon showed her how to grab them from the stem so that she didn't totally squish the berry as she pulled it off. After a few tries she had the hang of it.
And she went to town, picking every berry she could find.
She probably ate as many as she picked...
Gia and Jon did most of the picking, as it's hard for me to bend down gracefully and comfortably. The belly is already getting in the way!
I was happy just to watch her having so much fun.
After we picked 4.5 pounds of strawberries we went to a local restaurant for dinner and then stopped at Bellvale Creamery for some homemade ice cream. The view was just incredible and we had the whole place to ourselves. I was so excited to use the remote for my camera, so we snapped a few family shots. I can't decide which one I like better, so you get 2 for the price of 1!
Once our bellies were full, we headed home. Gia fell asleep in record time that night, and I'm pretty sure she dreamed of singing songs, strawberries, and ice cream.
Today was one of those days where, at every turn, something wonderful was happening. It was one of those days when I thought to myself a million times, is this really my life? Am I really this blessed?
Today was Gia's end of the year celebration and graduation/moving up day at pre-school. I'll save most of my sentimental musings for next week when it's actually her last day in the toddler class. For now it's all about the show.
We woke up early to the sun shining and the most perfect sunny & warm late spring day. Gia excitedly got ready in her outfit, purchased especially for the show. (The kids all had to wear denim on the bottom and white t-shirts.) Then Yadi arrived and we all rode to school together. I walked Gia in and we took our seats and waited for the show to start.
At 10 am the sounds of "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang filled the air, and out came the toddlers.
The teachers lined them up and Gia looked a little nervous. There was quite a large audience and I could see her scanning the crowd, looking for me. She spotted me pretty quickly and her face lit up. I waved and blew her a kiss and she blew one back. Then she looked around some more and spotted Yadi. I could see her say "Yadi! Hi Yadi!" Then she looked back at me and said "Yadi's here!" She was so excited to have us both there. I guess she forgot we all drove there together an hour earlier!
Gia and her class sang two songs: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Catch a Falling Star (originally by Perry Como).
Gia knew every single hand motion and gesture and did them in perfect time. She gets so into it that she forgets to sing. Every few seconds she'd remember to sing though. It was adorable and hilarious all at once.
After Gia the other classes each performed a few songs. It was incredible to see how much more they are capaable of each year, and it made me so excited (and a little sad) about how much my baby has grown and how much more she still has to go.
The theme of the show was "Shining Stars"...
and one of the coolest parts about the older kids (the 3s and 4s) was that they did popular songs. We heard "Pocket Full of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield and "Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez, amongst others. It was so lively and upbeat and such a celebration of these adorable little people.
After all the classes had their moment, everyone came back out for a finale together.
Once the show was over we went back to Gia's classroom and she got to show Yadi around. Yadi brought her a rose, which she LOVED!
The teachers had presents for each of the kids (sand pails filled with goodies) and each child also got a personalized "Yearbook". Then we all went back outside for refreshments.
My mom and I took Gia out for lunch afterwards and we flipped through her Yearbook. I immediately welled up. (Being pregnant and hormonal doesn't help!) It's filled with pictures of Gia on her pre-school journey these past 6 months. It is such a wonderful keepsake to have, and I'm so touched that, once again, Gia's teachers have gone above and beyond for her and the other kids.
It was just an awesome morning. Gia was so proud of herself and her school. She has grown so much these past few months and it's really beautiful to see. She's such a sweet child and nothing makes my heart swell with love like seeing her in her element, so confident and happy.
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