Lots of LOVE in February...A Look Back

Happy Valentine's Day, oh wait! That was more than 2 months ago! Sorry for the lateness. Let's see what happened in February...

February 7th~ We had our Cleveland Game Night with some friends. It was Girls vs Boys and let's just say the Girl's Ruled at Pictionary! The boys drank a lot and we all had a merry time!

Corazon, Me, Jenn, Eric, Hendrix, and The Vlad Man

February 14th~ Love is all we need... Vladi and I spent some of the day watching the UK vs Arkansas Basketball game. It was perfect since we met at the UK vs Arkansas Football game on November 1, 2003. How romantic. Then we went to dinner at Maggiano's. Yummy. Vladi got me a new removable shower head. I was so excited because it massages and can be used as a microphone for those concert moments in the shower. It has made pregnancy a little easier.

We had a few of what I call Giant Eagle Rendezvous. This is when we meet at Giant Eagle grocery store after work. It may sound silly but I do suggest trying it with your significant other. It's fun and there is just something about parking side by side seeing your hubby so excited to see you (while waving/smiling to each other from our cars). It's romantic as we hold hands while skipping through Giant Eagle. Ok, so we don't skip, but it's lots of fun. I even write it in my calendar.

In February, we continued to have MISSION ORGANIZATION BABY! We are currently finished, but of course, I am still finding things to do.

The baby furniture arrived Feb. 19th!

Our friend, Neel, visited the weekend of Feb. 20-22. We had a good time taking him to the local breweries. I had fun being the designated driver...NOT!

February 22~Vladi and I went to our last basketball game as just the two of us. We saw the Cavaliers play the Pistons. It was a great game and fun to see UK Alumi, Tayshawn Prince, play for the Pistons.

The last weekend of February (Feb. 27-March 2), Vladi and I drove home for the Baby Showers. While at home, we stopped by at my Grandpa's. My Grandpa is an avid fisherman and I can't wait until he teaches Alex to fish. My Grandpa's dog, Teddy, is an angel. The story of how my Grandpa received Teddy is pretty cool. Soon after my Grandma passed away, my Grandpa read the morning paper and saw that a woman couldn't care for her labrador anymore because she was moving to an apartment. She was going to be at Wal-Mart that morning and the first person she felt would be a good owner could have him. Well, my grandpa went to Wal-Mart early that morning (he wakes up very early), met Teddy, and the rest as they say is history. He and Teddy are inseparable. Teddy is like a human. Look at him smile in the pictures. Teddy can dance, sit until my grandpa tells him to move, goes fishing with my grandpa and looks human sitting in the front seat of the Volvo, understands when my grandpa needs help, and I think he is currently learning how to call 911 if ever needed. He is my Grandpa's best friend and he is definitely a Super Dog!

"I wonder if that pregnant woman wants to be my friend?"

I am so silly.... whenever I see a pregnant woman, I have to smile at her because we are both experiencing something special... a miracle growing inside us and I feel like we are in a club-The Future Mommy Club. Sometimes, I even will say to Vladi or to myself, "I wonder if that pregnant woman wants to be my friend?" Isn't that funny? But I can't feel too silly because my weekly Babycenter.com weekly email had a joke about pregnant women thinking this.

For research reasons, of course, Vladi and I will start up conversation with couples (with their babies) and ask questions about the baby gear that we see them with. I was at Chick-fil-A the other day and saw a mom with her 4 mth old baby boy...ahhhh. She smiled at me and I sat at the booth next to her. She was feeding him with a Dr. Brown's bottle, so I asked, "How do you like the Dr. Brown's bottles? My husband and I received them." Of course she loved them like everyone else. We started talking and I asked her what was one baby product that she can't live without. She said the book, On Becoming Babywise. I gasped since that is the same book that, Sharon, my 2nd cousin-in-law gave me. The Chick-fil-A woman's baby was so calm and she said he sleeps hours and hours at night! She said the book is a philosophy that teaches the parent to direct the feeding (Sharon had said the same thing) and napping which leads to happier babies and happier mommies. I have been reading the book and agree with the philosophy all the way! More to come in another blog when I have read more.

When I left the restaurant, I thought, I wonder if she has facebook? That wouldn't be as weird as asking for her number. haha I never asked, but she did seem like she wanted to be my friend.

March Madness...A Review of March

As huge UK Wildcats fans, we were disappointed to not make it to the NCAA Tournament; but, we still had a great month.

This month we interviewed pediatricians. It is weird interviewing a doctor, but when it comes to our baby...we want to be prepared and have a doctor that is best for us and our little Alex. We also went to the Cleveland Auto Show. It is a really cool place to go because they have all cars models and it's one of the biggest shows in the nation.

On March 23, we celebrated my 29th Birthday. I am getting to an age where I am witnessing babies that I babsat for graduate from high school. When I think about a memory, I hear myself saying, that was 12 years ago. 12 years ago I was still in High School! Age doesn't bother me though, I have had a wonderful, miraculous life so far and I know it is going to get better.

My Big day was a special day for Vladi and me; therefore, we both took the day off from work. When Vladi moved from Israel, there was confusion with the spelling of his last name. Some legal documents had Gomelsky spelt with an "i" at the end and some documents had it with a "y". The correct spelling. With a baby coming and to make life easier for Vladi(so he doesn't have to remember which documents have which spelling), he had a name change. It's fun to say that even if it was one letter. At 9:30 am, we went to the Court of Common Pleas in Painesville, to go before the Judge and have the name changed. We probably looked so funny to the Judge and the Officer (that helps out) because we were so serious and nervous. Hey, it's not everyday that we are in court. Before we went in, we discussed what the reasons were that Vladi wanted to change his name. Quietly, we said that Vladi wanted a name change because he was a former KGB member and escaped from Russia or because he owed millions to the govt. After Vladi was granted approval, I asked the officer if I could take Vlad's picture to remember the moment. He said, "Yes, and I have the perfect place." He had Vladi go sit in the judges chair and then we got a picture together. It was so fun. We even got to hit a button under the desk so that we could get out of the area. I almost hit the emergency button!

Afterwards, we ran errands and ate lunch at Longhorn. I wanted a special drink and drank strawberry lemonade. It was yummy and gave me a sugar high. We interviewed Dr. Rowane (our Pediatrician) in the afternoon and then went to my two week OB appt. I asked Dr. B if the office gave ultrasounds if you come in on your birthday? He laughed and said, "No, we don't give birthday ultrasounds." and then said, "I have never been asked that before." I am starting to think that I ask A LOT of questions that he has never been asked before.

To end the day that was full of laughter and special moments, we ordered a thin crust pepperoni pizza from Papa John's (makes me think of Louisville), went home, and watched UK's 2nd round of the NIT game. UK won. My sweet Hubby gave me earrings that he picked out without my help and 2 nursing gowns. Vladi and I wanted a family picture, so we took one in the bathroom mirror. Please excuse the toothpaste on the mirror. :)

The next day, we went to our first baby class at BabiesRUS. We had 2 that night-Breastfeeding and Baby Basics. We received lots of freebies and valuable info.

The last Saturday of the month, we went to the South Euclid Fire Department for our car seat inspections. It was so fun driving our cars into the fire station garage. We learned a lot ~ 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly!!! There is a lot that one has to do to make sure the car seat is safe. Before we left, I thanked the firemen for saving lives. I told them that I had a firefighter save my life 12 years ago.

PS~Happy Birthday Dad! (March 31) 1...2....3....Laugh-a-lot! Gotcha Dad! haha

"Showers" of Love and Friendship

February ended and March began with beautiful items for Alexander's nursery, baby gear, and memories with family and friends that I will always cherish. Meredith and my Aunt Marilyn and Aunt Marcia threw me baby showers!

February 28, 2009 ~Meredith's Baby Shower With My Friends

My sister, Meredith, is so special to me. She is my best friend, confidant, and will be the best aunt for little Alexander. Meredith hosted a baby shower for me to get together with all my girls that I miss so much. We played 3 very fun games~Random Baby Trivia that was on coasters (so cute!), Complete the Nursery Rhymes (so fun!), and What Characteristics Does Sarah Beth Think the Baby Will Have? (so funny!). Of course, having a boy, I picked a lot of Vladi's characteristics. But I hope the baby has my singing voice, creativity, and curly hair. Some of the characteristics I hope Alex gets from Vladi are his intelligence, height, and accent (even though that was not on the list :))

Meredith made chocolates shaped like blue and yellow ducks. She also gave me a "Mom-to-Be" pin, a pin to wear on my stomach that said "Baby Alexander", both Grandmothers got "Grandmother-to-Be" pins, Meredith had an "Aunt-to-Be" pin, and Aunt Sara had a "Best Friend" pin. They were so funny and cute. We wore them to both showers.

(Mom, Mom-to-Be, Natasha, Rachel, Stephanie, Kim, Marsha, Alison, Shannon, Sue)

Meredith picked a a really neat looking cake that reminded me of what I would see in a magazine. It was yummy. Alex will also have fun playing with the rubber ducky.

My wonderful Mom fixed a very good lunch for all of us-chicken casserole (mom don't forget to send out that recipe to everyone that asked), green beans that I was craving, and a greek salad. We also used my Great-Grandmother Biagi's china and my mom's silver.

I feel so lucky to have such great friends that I will have for a lifetime. It was so nice catching up with everyone. I appreciate my friends that had other committments still stopping by for a bit or sending me something if they couldn't-too sweet. I was amazed at all of the baby gear (I call it) that Alexander got and he will use every bit of it! ~infant/toddler bathtub, bath accessories, a baby monitor, stimulating toys/playmat/jumperoo, bottles and accessories, stroller and car seat, pacifiers, UK bottles, sleepers, clothes, and more.

Meet Poochie! One of the presents my mom gave me was this cute doggie for Alex's monthly birthday pictures. My mom has all sorts of ideas of pictures with Poochie and Alex. When I was little, our first dog was named Poochie and my mom did not realize that the tag on the stuffed animal says "Poochie!" Therefore, his name is Poochie...look for him in monthly birthday blogs with Alex.




While the girls were at the shower, Vladi had a great time catching up with Chris and Dave. After lunch, they came to my house and played pool and watched the UK game while the girls were upstairs. Julie and I took prego pics together. It has been so much fun going through our pregnancy together.

March 1, 2009 ~Aunt Marcia and Aunt Marilyn's Shower

With Family and Friends

My Aunts, Marilyn and Marcia, had a Family Shower for me. It was so nice and special that Marcia and Marilyn would have this shower for me. Marilyn is my Godmother and Marcia is married to my Uncle Robert, who is my Godfather. I was so happy to see family and friends that I had not seen for awhile. We had so much fun playing games~ Complete the Father/Mother phrase and come up with Baby Words using Vladi's and my name (like an acrostic poem). Once again I had a beautiful cake that was "oh, so" delicious! The food was also very good~ham sandwiches, veggie pizza, olive nut finger sandwiches, fruit, and refreshing, homemade lemonade. Yum! My 3rd/4th cousins (not sure which, so many Biagi's), Sophia and Lillia, helped by bringing the presents to me and helping me unwrap some. They are so cute!


(Tricia, Sophia, Me, Sharon, Lillia)






I received more baby gear that Alex will definitely need and use~carseat base for Vladi's car, bouncer, tub side sit and store, books, puzzles, soft blocks, a moses basket gift set that he will sleep inside the first months, teething toys, diaper caddy-already on his changing table, a memory book, rattles, bibs, educational toys, his first train, a red truck night light, sheets, bath supplies, bath tub toy holder, shampoo rinse cup, bath towels, and lots of clothes. Alex is ready to go out on the town with all of the beautiful clothes that he has received at both showers. I love all his new onesies, UK clothes/hats, and outfits. I want a picture of him in all of them! I cannot wait to see him in all of his clothes! hehehaha

Since Vladi and I are not painting the room, I have been trying to think of how to decorate the walls. That problem was fixed at this shower. My 2nd cousin-in-law, Tricia, made me a beautiful picture for Alexander's room. She is so creative and used color pastels and special colored pencils to make this. When I opened the present, I thought, "Oh WOW! This is exactly what I wanted for his room but I never knew Pottery Barn Kids had something like this." Then my mom took the picture to hold for everyone to see and I saw March 1, 2009 and Tricia's name written at the bottom. It all started to come together. Sharon said, "Sarah Beth, Tricia made that!" Here is the picture and I think that I will put it over the changing table so I can look at it as I hold Alex in the glider. My friend Joanna gave me a frame with an opening to put a picture for each month. I am excited about this because I want to take monthly birthday pictures of Alex and post them like my friend Rachel. Now I have a frame for them. My cousin-in-law, Lauren (Congratulations on baby Cecilia!) was not able to come because she was due any day and had her baby girl this past week! She gave me wall vinyl lettering that I will put above the crib. It says "Every Good and Perfect Gift Comes From Up Above." That will be so storybook like above his crib. Love it! It was so cool to get an English/Russian board book for Alex from my cousins, Shelley and Laura. Vladi and I had heard of them but never seen one. My Aunt Carole gave me something very special of hers. On top of my present, she had a baby in a stroller. I could tell that it was very old and special. She said that it was on top of her cookies that came in 3rd place at the State Fair 18 years ago! I will put this in a very special place in Alexander's room and put a picture of it up soon with the nursery pictures.

Each night after the shower, my mom and I would stay up late and look at everything again. That Sunday night, we were up until 3:30 am talking about all the exciting gifts and eating veggie pizza (I'll always remember that mom ;) Vladi and I are so excited about all our gifts...we keep going into the baby's room to stare at everything and talk about how we will use all the items. Everything excites us and we can't wait to use it all. We feel so lucky to have generous family and friends.

At the showers, I received so many ideas to save time, money, and "how to" raise my little man to be a strong, caring, independent big man. I am so thankful and feel so blessed to have so many people support and love Vladi, me, and Baby Alex (who we can't wait to see use all these gifts!).

Thank you Meredith, Mom, Marilyn, and Marcia for the fantastic showers and support!

Thank you Vladi for carrying up all the gifts to the 3rd floor at our apartment in very cold temps ! ;)

TWO Months Away From Yesterday!!!

Sorry that I have not written in a while. Time passes so quickly, just like the past seven months. I cannot believe that next week is the last week in my 7th month. On Wednesday (March 4th), I think I felt Alexander hiccuping! It did not feel like a kick or anything that I usually feel. The little guy had hiccups twice yesterday. I love being pregnant and feel lucky to have a great pregnancy even though some of the symptoms have not been fun.

My 1st Trimester started with extreme nausea, lots of gagging, sickness a few times a week, and not able to eat much meat. Pork and bacon (yes I know they both come from a pig which means they are probably both pork) were the only meats that I could eat. Chicken was a definite NO. Poor Vladi got chicken whenever we ate out, he missed it so much. Before we knew that I was pregnant, Vladi knew something was going on when the late owl that he knows was coming home from work, couldn't eat, and was in bed at 7:30. So, I went to bed every night very, very early. I didn't have any cool cravings, just IHOP breakfast, green olives, and hot chocolate. Candy and chocolate made me sick also.

I started feeling much better in the 2nd Trimester. Most of the time I felt like I did before I was preggo except with a growing belly. I was able to eat a little more variety and could eat a Chick-fil-A sandwich occasionally, but definitely not fix chicken at home. I first felt Baby Alexander move at the end of the 15th week on November 22, 2008.

The 3rd Trimester is going well but I am gagging again and getting very tired. I am finally able to eat a little chicken and even fix it at home! WOOWW!!! (said sarcastically) My bump is getting big and it is hard to move at night in bed. At school, when the kids run up to give me a hug, their heads sometimes bounce off my bump. It is hilarious! It's like sumu wrestlers bouncing off of each other. I get pregnancy brain A LOT lately. I am very forgetful and think very slowly. Alexander is very active and moves a lot. Vladi likes to put his head against my bump and listen for Alex. He says he can hear him move or hear his heartbeat. Sometimes, Alex kicks Vladi in the head. :)

This past weekend, Vladi and I went to KY for two wonderful Baby Showers! I will put a post with lots of pics this weekend.

Here I am in my 2nd Trimester on December 27, 2008 at the end of my 22nd week.

The picture on the right is taken in my 3rd Trimester on Valentine's Day 2009. I am at the end of my 27th week.

D-Day Is Monday, May 4, 2009!!!!!!!

Today I had an unexpected OB appointment because I have been seeing stars after I quickly move. I called yesterday and since Dr. B was out, the nurses told me to come in this morning. I figured it was just the changes to my body throwing off my balance and I was right. I am doing great-my stomach is the exact measurement it should be, Alexander's heartbeat is great, and I have lost 3 lbs (not the baby's weight) which is good for my body frame said Dr. B. I have been very good about not gaining extra weight, just baby. I am very proud of myself. :) This has been a lifestyle change for me. So back to today's appointment... Dr. B. said, "Let's make a delivery date." I felt so bad because this was the first appt. that Vladi had not been to and we were finding out the delivery date. Vladi didn't mind. Alexander's due date is Monday, May 4, 2009!!!! We are soooo excited!

After my appointment, Dr. B told me to go across the street to the hospital and take the gestational diabetes test for pregnant women (which you have to do when you are pregnant in your 6th month). He is not concerned that I have this, it is just something that I had to do. I got to drink an orange sugary drink. Not fun. This nice man sat next to me with another type of drink and said, "You have a cocktail also." We talked a bit and he said he has to drink another drink again in one hour. I felt bad for him. He told me to imagine that our drinks were beer. We laughed and it actually helped.

I got a phone call later in the day telling me about another delivery.... the baby furniture!!!!! Oh I am so excited. Vladi and I have a few more things to do to the room and then we can schedule the furniture delivery. WOOHOO!!!

I cannot believe that I have ONE week left in my 2nd trimester!!!! I have had so many emotions lately and cannot wait to meet my little man very soon.

The Begining of 2009 Started With A Crash

January was a great month but also had its downfalls. We had our wonderful Babymoon but had a little trouble before our celebration. About 1 1/2 weeks before our trip, we took the highlander to the best carwash in the area. We discovered minutes later that the back windshield wiper and holder had broken off. It was found inside the carwash. Therefore, Vladi had the SUV (which I drive now) to take it to the dealership and have fixed. We were lucky that the owner at the carwash agreed with Vladi that the windshield wiper was a factory installed item and reimbursed us. After Vladi took the SUV to have estimates/repairs done, he drove to work. As he was about to turn into Nela Park GE Plant (where his UPS office is), a SUV rear-ended him. Vladi was ok but was scared to see the result of the big hit. He saw nothing but a scratch, however, with the big hit there could have been more damage. The man said he didn't hit Vladi and Vladi said, "yeah you did and I'm calling the cops." They went to the police station (with the cop from the scene) and filed a report. Vladi went to the Dr. and he is good now. The man continued to deny that he hit Vladi but Progressive (insurance company for both parties) agreed with Vladi because they saw that the bumper was cracked. Progressive also said there could be more damage. We decided to have the bumper fixed and anything else (it ended up just being a cracked bumper)because that will be the primary car we drive with the baby on long trips. If there is a future accident, then the bumper may not absorb the shock as well if not fixed. We got a rental car and drove it on our Babymoon. It was a KIA Sportage. Great SUV but small for Vladi.

Mission Organization Baby had it next to last phase. We rented a storage unit and Vladi moved items to the unit. Everything is becoming so much more organized and we are so excited.

The History Books speak... This past January was the 2nd snowiest January in Cleveland's history. We have had feet of snow but not as bad as KY's ice storm. We get snow everyday and it does not melt away. This weekend will be milder and we are excited.