It's a Miracle!!!!

So I came home from a wonderful day, and my day got even more wonderful!! MY INTERNET IS BACK! It's been a while, so you're going to have to scroll down to see all my posts! 

Sagamore Hill

Today was a gorgeous 75 degree day here on Long Island! Tom and I decided that since we only live 5 min. away from Theodore Roosevelts house, we should go see it!

His home...

Beautiful tree in the front of the house.

Tom and I 

Some beautiful wildflowers

There was a little path you could take down to the water. It felt so hot out I wanted to go for a swim...but the water was freeeeezing! 

Tom has a hidden talent that I never knew about...he is very good at skipping rocks. Check out the video :)

Can't leave out Caroline!

Baby Caroline is doing great and so is mom! She is now about 1.2 lbs and about 8.4 inches from crown to rump. I love being pregnant! She moves around and kicks me all the time and I love it!!! I can't wait to have her here!

Caroline's room...

22 wks...the most recent picture I have that I can stand to look at :) 

2-d image at 23 wks

3-d image at 23 wks

Christopher's Birthday

Our cute little nephew, Christopher, just celebrated his 2nd birthday!

Christopher

Nicholas (our nephew also)

me and my adorable nephew!

Some Photos from NEW MEXICO!

I'm a tad bit late on this (Feb 2009)...but what the heck! 

Muah in Old  Town

Me and 2 of my favorites from NM! Danielle, & Laura!

Laura and her new hubby Bryan

Me and Grandma Haggard

Me with 2 of my sisters! 

Carolines Room **UPDATED**

So my internet at home is STILL not working. So I emailed this picture to myself from my phone. The picture isn't that great...but here is a little preview until we get our internet up.

Pray for Brooke

Tom and I learned this morning that our friend, Frankie Toner, was killed while serving our country in Afghanistan. He and his wife Brooke were married around the same time as Tom and I. We all met here in NY in the singles ward. We are so sad for Brooke and hope that you can all join us in praying for her and her family. I can't even imagine how difficult this must be for her--it just breaks my heart. Frankie was a great man. He and Brooke share a great love that could easily be seen when you were with them. We are so grateful that we had a chance to know and be friends with such a great person and such an amazing couple.

Here is Frankie and Brooke when we went out to dinner right before he left for Afghanistan in Oct. 2008.


Afghan soldier kills two coalition troops, U.S. says

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An Afghan soldier reportedly shot and killed two coalition service members in northern Afghanistan on Friday, U.S. forces in Afghanistan said.

The military, which calls the incident the first of its type "in recent memory," said the shooter also wounded another service member and then killed himself. A fourth service member appeared to be unharmed but was taken to a medical facility for evaluation.

The military passed along comments from Afghan Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak, who expressed his condolences for the service members killed and wounded. He said that he was "saddened and deeply regretful this tragedy occurred" and that the incident was under full investigation.

Wardak said that "it is too early to speculate, but the investigation will bear out the truth" and that "full corrective action will be taken."

20 Weeks

Yay! I'm half way done!!!!!!

Week 20


Baby:
The fetus measures about 5.6 (14.2cm) to 6.4 inches (16.3cm) from crown to rump and weighs about 9 ounces (255g). Your baby can hear sounds by now -- your voice, heart and your stomach growling, as well as sounds outside your body. It will cover its ears with its hands if a loud sound is made near you, and it may even become startled and "jump." The baby is moving often, too -- twisting, turning, wiggling, punching and kicking.

Mom-to-be:
Congratulations! You're at about the midpoint of your pregnancy. Your uterus is just about even with your navel. Your waistline has pretty much disappeared, but only temporarily! The risk of bladder infections increases because the smooth muscles in the urinary tract relax. Your breathing will become deeper and you may perspire more than usual from a more active thyroid gland.

Tip for the week:
To alleviate backaches, maintain good posture. Sit with a footstool or use an ergonomic chair at the office, avoid standing for too long, sleep with a small pillow under your side at the waist, and lift things with your legs instead of your back.

Names

A lot of people have asked us about names. We were deciding between Caroline, Olivia, and Madison...all with the middle name Ruth after my grandma. We decided to go with Caroline Ruth (so if you don't like it, keep it to yourself ;). Tom and I have loved that name for so long and love jamming to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond...so Caroline it is!

18 wks

It's a.....

For those of you who voted BOY...you are wrong! I can officially say that I was not wrong because a week ago I changed my vote to girl. I decided I should change it to what I wanted it to be and not what I thought it was.
"It" can now be referred to as a "she". We went this morning and she wasn't shy at all, she just opened her legs right up so we could see. I was in shock because I have been telling myself for so long that it has to be a boy!
Tom and I are both overjoyed. Thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm and caring words! We greatly appreciate it! I'm overjoyed not only because we are having a healthy baby girl, but also because I get to buy dresses and bows! Yay! Any advice from mothers of girls, baby girls, would be greatly appreciated and accepted!

Prego Picture

My internet decided to be nice to me tonight and work. Tom wants to use the computer so I only have time for one picture...my trip to NM will have to wait. Hopefully you will hear from me tomorrow about the sex of the baby. If not, check facebook since I can access that on my phone.

Here I am at 17 wks

18 wks and counting...

2 more days until we find out the sex! We are super excited! My internet hasn't worked for wks...except on my phone so I can't upload pictures of my big fat belly:( I will let you all know as soon as we find out though.

14 Wks and Counting...and a New Dwelling

Tom and I have been home sick for the past 4 days so I figure there are no excuses for not updating my blog.  I am now 14 wks! We had our 14 wk. appointment on Thursday and everything is still GREAT! It was so exciting to see the baby. He (I'm convinced it's a boy) was sucking his thumb and kicking and moving around! It finally felt so real to us. We find out on March 5th if it is really a boy so cast your vote on the side. Don't let me thinking it's a boy effect your answer ;) I am sad to say I am often WRONG! 

I am heading down to New Mexico this week to attend one of my best friends of all time, Laura Browns, wedding reception! I am sooo excited! I need to get out of here every now and then! I fit in MUCH better in New Mexico then I do here.

14 wks 2 days


me on Friday...don't mind the big screen on the piano. We had nowhere else to put it! 


 

Oh yah, and for those of you who don't know...we moved! I never said anything because lately Tom and I have become EXPERT movers. Things just didn't work out with our last apartment...mixing family and business just isn't the best choice. I think I have finally convinced Tom of this!! Anyway, we got a cute  little 2 bedroom and I am so happy we will actually have room for a baby! Plus, I am 10 min. from work instead of 1 hour! We LOVE it here. I FINALLY have the apartment cleaned and decorated...it took so long because of being sick, but I feel like I'm home now. Here are some pictures. 

Living Room


Kitchen


I hate that TV...it's just too big...but Tom HAD to have it ; )


Master Bedroom...a little small, but we don't spend much time in it so we figured we would save the bigger room for the baby/office. :) 


Bathroom...it actually has a tub...whoohoo! Oh, and thanks for the shower curtain Cathie!


Can you tell we like lighthouses?

It's True

Well, I was hoping to at least get 10 comments...but I can't let those 9 people down. For the record, I hardly ever leave comments either...I was just trying to build up the excitement. Anyway, if you've heard the rumors...they are true! I'M PREGNANT!!! I am due on AUGUST 4, 2009. I'm just a little shy of 12 weeks now. I've been seeing my doctor since I was just about 4 weeks and everything is going GREAT! :) 

We were pretty shocked that this happened so fast, considering how long it took us to get pregnant the first time. We found out right around Thanksgiving and we are SO excited. This baby is such a blessing and we couldn't be happier! :) 

I felt pretty good until about week 8 when I started getting nauseous. Pretty much since the start of the new year I've been throwing up every day. But, the first trimester is almost over so hopefully it will get better! 

Baby Gounaris at about 5 weeks

Baby Gounaris at about 7 weeks. 

Baby Gounaris at about 10 weeks

I was a little reluctant to post this last picture. I realize I am a little LARGE for someone who isn't even 12 weeks yet...but whatever...this is what I look like. I've never been one of those girls with a flat stomach...but it definitely didn't stick out this much! 

Where's the Love?

Ok people...I'm not telling you all our exciting news if you don't leave comments. Without comments how am I supposed to know anyone still reads this thing? 

Wisconsin in the Winter!

The day after Christmas I went to Green Bay, WI to visit my brother Andrew, his wife Sarah, and my 2 yr old nephew Allen. Sad to say I was not the queen of picture taking as I usually am...I was just having to much fun with Allen! I didn't even get a picture of Andrew and Sarah :( Here are a few pictures that I did get! 

Me at Lambeau Stadium...home of the Green Bay Packers!

Allen wearing my boots! 
In front of the mountain of snow that they have outside their house! 

Sleepy Allen! Saying goodbye to Aunt Sarah at 6 am at the airport :(

The CUTEST little video of Allen!

Christmas Pictures

Well, I'm a little late posting this...but it's better late than never, right? Christmas was just dandy! Here are a few pictures from the event filled day.

Tom and I
My little nephews, Nicholas and Christopher, enjoying their presents.
Uncle Tommy and  Nicholas
Me with chocolate covered Christopher!
Tom with his father and uncle. 
Little Anthony couldn't handle all the excitement :) 
Eleni (cousin), and the sister in-laws...Me, Denise, and Elizabeth. 

Christmas is Here!

Well, Christmas is just one day away! While I will have many pictures after the holidays (I am going to Wisconsin on Friday!), I have been informed that I need to update my blog : ) So, here are some pictures of Tom and I when we went to the city a couple weeks ago to see the tree! Stay tuned for more pictures and lots of family updates at the start of the new year! 




"That's what she said"