24 Week Belly Shot!

As 24 weeks comes to a close.. it has been a great week between the Christmas holiday, a great Dr appt., and being off to spend even more time at home! Things are good except again for my left hip, it gets very numb and hurts being that I sleep now only on my left. Nothing helps and it is ok, it is all worth it. John Carmine MOVES ALL THE TIME and boy does he kick strong. I love it sometime little flutters and sometimes big booming kicks and this is regardless of what I eat...no cravings again really just food....very different this time around, with Gia I wanted meat like some kind of animal and now it is food in general only when I am hungry and not really for sweets either... each pregnancy is different and that is the truth.. Well onto week 25!! YAY!

Christmas 2012 pics!!

Operation Mean Green...haha! 

Beth and her Jeej

My brother knows how much I love Peeps so he got me Gingerbread holiday edition ones!!

Paulie and Jinny

Mi Famiglia!

Aunt Monica and Jeej

Clapping with Gerard!

PRICELESS!!!

Merry Christmas 2012

Christmas Day was at our house this year and it was a truly wonderful and memorable day. Santa came for Jeej and boy did our little love make out quite well!!! She was a very very good girl!!! Of course!!! Sal and I had so much food. Sal smoked 3 pork shoulders and we made around 20lbs of eggplant parm. My brother made an excellent anitpasta and Mom and Jinny made sides and dessert and Beth brought her yummy cookies.. We had about 13 people and the guest of honor was of course Gerard, our new beloved freind. Gerard had the best time eating all these new kinds of food haha and sharing his awesome stories of World War II with everyone especially Sal and Dad. Sal dressed up as an elf and spray painted his hair green... operation mean green as he called it.. Every year he plans on doing this for Gigi and John so they think he works for Santa... honey we all love you so much!!  It was truly a very special Christmas. Pictures to follow...

I wanted to share what our good friend Beth wrote about spending Christmas with us...

Merry Christmas 2012! Very special thanks to my dear friend Patricia Giordano-Mastropolo for inviting me to spend Christmas with her family. I had a lovely time and lots of wonderful food. Patti and her husband had become acquainted with a Wal-Mart greeter named Gerard, who served at D-Day, The Battle of Normandy. He was widowed a few years ago, and would have spent Christmas alone in his trailer - until Patti and her husband brought him to their house to spend the holiday with their brood - the ultimate demonstration of true Christmas spirit!!! Thanks Patti and family - you are the best, and I am honored to be your friend!!! xoxo

Our beloved friend and HERO to our country... Gerard!

6th OB appt!!

Had my OB appt. today and everything is great! John Carmine's heartbeat is nice and strong and I gained 4 pounds which is awesome!! My next appt. is 1/24 and that is the glucose test, ultrasound, and Dr. Appt. all in one!! So excited for the ultrasound to see our baby boy because this time his features will be much more detailed!! Can't believe I am 6 months already!!! Things are going so fast and still so much to do!! All good things!!!

23 WEEK BELLY SHOT

23 weeks is coming to a close.. and Sal said last night to me how much bigger I am at this point compared to when I was pregnant with Gia and what will I look like at 9 months.. haha honey thanks!! Feeling good, we are all better from that nasty virus thank God! I have been having issues with my hip again , sleeping on my left side makes my hip have pain and I wake at night with it.. same thing happened with Gia.. I remember Dr. Hu saying that there is nothing I can do really and I just do not have much cushion in my hips... I sleep with my hip on a pillow and a pillow between my legs. I just about have every body, pregnancy, and regular pillows on the bed! Well, I am 6 months this week.. I have my OB appt. the day after Christmas.... after the holidays it is full force ahead in getting baby John Carmine's room all ready!!! Onto week 24!!

Weekly Buddy Belly Shots!!!

Here we are!! Week 21 and 23! Jackson is the size of a pomegranate and John Carmine is the size of a grapefruit! When we had spirit week at our school a few months back Melissa and I wore these matching shirts and jeans and this time WE REALLY FILL OUT THE SHIRTS!! haha! Our boys are healthy and growing bigger and bigger!!! LOVE IT!! Onto week 22 and 24!!!

22 week belly shot!

Yes, I have popped out even more... good things... although we are all sick in the Mastropolo house with the stomach virus... no good...  I have been drinking as much as I can to keep hydrated it is just hard when you want nothing and I have not really been eating too much because everything makes me sick, but the fluids are most important I was told. Our little Gia girl poor thing, she is such a trooper even though she does not feel well and of course Sal got it too, so we are all not in the best shape, it will pass I know... We just hate to see Gigi not herself and want to make sure John Carmine is good too. He is kicking and moving ALL the time, thank God! Besides this virus, all is well... feeling good otherwise! Onto week 23!

Our little model posing with Santa!

Not the least bit afraid to sit on Santa's lap.. she actually gave him the "stink eye" at first.. Our Gigi is sure something else!!

Weekly Buddy Belly Shot!

Melissa is half way there WOO HOO!!! Jackson is the size of a banana and John Carmine is the size of a mango and boy do I feel it!! Melissa and I both say how much bigger we are right now than our first pregnancies...We are poppin' all over the place haha!! We feel great and it is a joy for both of us to feel those little kicks and movements!!! Onto week 21 and 23!!

A very special guest for Christmas dinner this year...

Gerard, Sal , and Gia

Gerard and me

A few months back at Walmart, Gia and I noticed this elderly man with his WWII Navy Veteran hat on. He is a volunteer greeter. I had to stop and speak with him and found out he was about 18 when he was on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day in the 3rd wave of boats to hit the beach. He wears that black glove on his hand because his hand was so badly frost-bitten in the war and he has, one on each knee, 9 inch scars from when his knees were shot at.  This hero's name is Gerard and he is 86 years old.. Gia and I would make it a point to always say hello when we went to Walmart and we knew Gerard was going to be there. He loves Gia!  His story is amazing and he has been awarded the bronze star! I have been telling Sal all of this and was dying to get them to meet! Gerard told me he lost his wife 4 years ago on Christmas and it was harder than anything he went through or saw in the war.

Last week, Gia and I saw Gerard, talked for awhile and then I asked him if he had plans for Christmas and invited him to our house and explained what an absolute honor it would be to have him at our table. He told me he was going to be alone and he sits with his wife's picture and asks her, "Why she left him here without her." That was it for me. I just had to get him to come over. I told him we would be back with Sal on Sunday so they can meet finally.  This past Sunday, Sal, Gia, and I went to Walmart to see Gerard and there he was in his spot and his face lit up when he saw me first. Needless to say.. Sal was speechless to hear his story from him and we asked him for Christmas again. He accepted and plans are on to pick up Gerard on Christmas Day. I asked him if he minded  having a traditional Italian Christmas with the food etc. and he said he has been to Italy loves the food and of course not!

To us, this is what Christmas is all about... there was no way we were going to have him spend Christmas alone. Gerard is a hero, a real hero and deserves the respect and honor for what he did for all fighting in WWII for all of us to live the way we do now. It again, is a very high honor for us to break bread and share Christmas dinner with Gerard, our special friend, who will most definitely be at the head of our table!

Sedona weekend "Festival of Lights Part 3"

Sedona weekend "Festival of Lights" Part 2

5 years ago to the exact date 12/8/07 Sal asked me to be his wife in this very spot in front of the little church at Talaquepaque. Fast forward 5 years 12/8/12 we now take the picture with Gigi and John Carmine staying warm in my belly!

Gigi in her night wear haha!