New Belly Pic--26 Weeks (6.5 months) along

Several people have asked for a new belly picture, so by popular demand...here it is! Once we get a few more, we'll try to animate it like a virtual flip book.

Little Peanut update: She's doing really well! If there was a contest for kicking, poking, and elbowing, she would definitely win first prize. Steve is searching for his cleats so that he can get ready for some soccer coaching.

The Silvestros are moving to Arlington, VA on Monday! Even though Steve thinks Monica would be great at carrying boxes---she's got a perfect spot to rest things on---she's going to focus on the packing/unpacking part. Both grandmas will be in town helping out, too. We'll send out an e-mail with our new address and maybe some pics of the place once we get settled.

Hope everyone is doing well in this heat! (Or does it only feel hot because Monica's pregnant..?)

Monica and Steve
P.S. - Hope everyone enjoyed Harry Potter!

The Little Peanut goes to Austin

I took the little peanut with me (hey, she goes where I go) to Austin, Texas to visit my best friend Erin this week. This was not her first trip to Texas, she was in Dallas for my cousin David's wedding last month, but this was probably the last plane trip for both of us before she emerges into the real world.

Since Erin can't come to visit until next year, she surprised me with the most adorable mini-baby-shower EVER. The guest list was me and Erin (and the little peanut, of course), but we still played games, including "smell the mystery baby food in the diaper" and "every time you say the word baby, you give the other person one of your 5 mini plastic pacifiers"....let's just say that there was a lot of passing back and forth of those little plastic charms. The funniest was when I saw a "baby spider" in the bathroom and announced it's diminutive status as such and lost one of my pacifiers that way. I think Erin won both games...

Here are some photos!

This is me in front of the adorable diaper cake she made. The belly is growing, right?

This is me smelling the...lamb? No, that was beige....perhaps the chicken and rice? Erin's husband Dave bought the baby food and took off the labels so that Erin could participate equally. Yes, it was as gross as it looks, and yes, we laughed very very hard.


This is me in front of an Austin landmark graffiti wall. Erin's sister Kathryn gifted the little peanut with an adorable little t-shirt with this same image.


And finally, here is me with my wonderful friend and hostess with the most-ess...Erin :)

Newest update...not much to update...

For those who were concerned, Steve has been working out and finally lost that "week 17 bloat."

Things over here are pretty steady in pregnancy land. The excitement over finding out that the peanut is no longer an "it" but actually a little girl was enough to carry us with giddyness for awhile. And I have to admit that the kicking thing hasn't gotten old for us either. She is pretty active between 9:00 and 10:30pm--not ironically the very same time of the day where I am usually stretched out on the couch and relaxing with Steve's hands eagerly on my belly waiting for yet another reminder of the little buddha within. And between pre-natal yoga classes and eating healthfully (with the occasional chocolate pop-tart--hey, nutrition counselors are still human) we're hopefully preparing this wee one for a blissful entry into the world.

And in exciting news, the little peanut will actually have her own room when she arrives--the Silvestros are moving to a 2-bedroom townhouse in Arlington, VA at the beginning of August. While this one-bedroom apartment we are currently in has been quite lovely. And while we don't know a single neighbor--as most of the residents are 70+, we will fondly miss our doorman Kaleb and our lifeguard Oleg, sniff sniff. We felt we needed a bit more space, especially because I work from home now and my "office" consists of the dining room table--"Quick, put the files , books, computer and printer in the bedroom on the floor before guests come over!" So not only will the little one have a room of her own for all her little baby stuff, but the place has a finished basement where I can set up an office. Woohoo! If anyone has free time the first week of August and wants to help us move, please drop us a line, you will get a free dinner and our undying gratitude. ;)

So now that we know the gender and everyone has provided us with their lovely name suggestions, some that we have taken into consideration, and others that didn't quite make it onto the list (Princess Jasmine, Madame President...nice rings, but...no) it's funny how many people find it difficult to believe that we would actually keep the name a secret from our family and friends until the day she arrives. Of all people, grand-mama-san Silvestro is by far the least patient. ;) Sorry gang! And for all of you curious folks, I will say that there's a name we have chosen--first and middle--that is almost a sure thing, we're even calling her that name to "test it out," hoping that it'll suit a little person a tad more than it suites my round belly!. In the meantime, we're steadfast on keeping it a secret so to all of you impatient ones out there...enjoy the next few months!! ;)

Love,
Monica

P.S. from Stevo: Yeah, you know what "she's active from 9:00 to 10:30 PM" means?? I seriously have to invest in a shotgun. It's funny how I've so easily gone from being a boy to distrusting them.... Oh, and that little townhouse is just a rental. Hopefully our little baby will get a job in a few years so that we can get a mortgage. My fingers are crossed!

Updated Belly Picture

Here's a picture of my belly at 21 weeks. That's a little more than 5 months for those trying to do the math in your head. I always wondered why, when I asked pregnant women how far along they were, they answered in weeks and not months, but now I get it--because all milestones and appointments are referred to in weeks, so now that that's how I think, too.

There's all sorts of weird math in pregnancy. Everyone knows a woman is pregnant for about 9 months, right? Um...try 40 weeks....do the math...WAY more than 9 months. Isn't there even a movie called 9-months? They should really do something about the misnomer.

The fun new thing is that I've started to feel her move inside of me! At first I thought it was just gas, but the flutters and thumps I felt were not the same familiar feelings of gas I have felt for the last 28 years and when I described those feelings to other mothers they confirmed...yep, that's the little peanut saying hello or "give me some ice cream, dammit" (yeeeeah, that's what those kicks were...let's go to Ben and Jerry's, Steve and give baby what she needs).

Thanks for the continuous well wishes, everyone!
Monica (and Steve)

Aaaaaaaaaaand it's a..........................

GIRL!!!!!

Looks like the Peanut Gallery was right. We had our 20-week ultrasound today, and little girl bits were what we saw! We also saw her arms, legs, heart, hands, feet and toes--little tiny toes. =) Of course, of all the cute pictures the ultrasound tech could've given us, she decided to print out the Skeletor View that you see above (she's horizontal & looking at us straight on, with her head on the left, eyes, and open mouth....we're assuming she's a little cuter in person...).

So, now the name search is made a little easier. We're taking suggestions---especially since all of Steve's favorite names (Captain, Earl, The Edge) are now out of the question. Something pretty enough for a supermodel princess, but also cool enough for a tomboy. "Earl"----yeah, it doesn't quite do the trick.

Steve is already shopping for the shotgun he's going to need in 16 years when our little girl goes on her first date...

Who will the little peanut look like more?

Yet another week of stalling before next week's big ultrasound. So, here are some baby pictures to keep you satisfied in the meantime!

Will the little peanut look like



Daddy Steve?


Or Momma Monica?

This week's ultrasound

Just kidding, folks. You have to wait two more weeks until we have the appointment where we are hoping to find out if the little peanut is a boy or a girl. Please take our poll and let us know what you predict!

Results of previous poll: What should Steve's dad's "Grandfather Name" be?

27 votes came in and and the winner is.... THE DUDE. G-pops came in a close second. Maybe we'll let The Dude decide for himself, but we'll surely provide the input from the "peanut gallery."