Next Step

Sydnie and I got back from Florida on Monday night. We had a great trip back home, full of lots of "fun" adventures. Adventures like dead car batteries, broken refrigerators and maggot-covered meat, over-crowded airplanes, and lost luggage. It was quite an eventful trip, to say the least, but we hung in there, and will hopefully be laughing about it all soon (no, I'm not quite at the "I see the humor now" stage). We made it back to Harrisburg safely. Matt and I didn't think we'd be here still, but that's another story entirely. We're both staying as positive as we can through all this, but seeing as though there's really no end in sight here, and we're still living in a hotel, we've both decided that it's best for Sydnie, the dogs, and me to drive back down to Florida for the rest of the season. Syd and I definitely plan to visit Matt during homestands, but living here is just not what's best for us as a family. Matt has plans to stay with another one of the pitchers here, who has an extra bedroom. We'll be able to save a little money this way too. It makes me SO SAD to think about being away from Matt again, but like I said, we both feel this is the best thing to do. A good friend was so sweet to offer her support, since she and her family are going through a very similar experience. She said, "Be strong for Matt. It's hard sometimes feeling like we are the ones holding it all together. When the guys are up, we are up. When they're down, we still have to be up. Its a lot to handle, but thats why not every woman can handle this and we were put in our husband's life for a reason... Ask God for peace about it. I have found myself pleading with God for peace in certain situations just because I need to not worry about it."

Anyone who lives this life certainly knows by now that it is not always pretty and easy. There are rough days/ months/ years that we ALL have to deal with. I truly believe that this experience has made our marriage and love for one another even stronger. We've learned so much about our strengths and weaknesses as individuals, and I look forward to whatever these next 60+ years have in store for us!

Lauren is flying out to Harrisburg on Friday, and we'll start the drive back down South on Saturday. I wish we had been able to tell the future a month ago, and know that this is where we'd be, but alas, I am no superhero and I do not have a crystal ball. Maybe I could find one of those on Craigslist.

In other news, Sydnie is just about crawling. I thought it would never happen, but just as soon as I thought she'd skip crawling all together, she starts! Albeit, backwards, but it's the effort that counts, right? She has gone forward a couple times, but she's still perfecting this mobility thing! I just have such a hard time believing that she is just a couple months away from being a year old! How did this happen?

Life On The Road

So, it's obviously been FAR too long since my last post. I know that some of you know what we've been up to, but some may not, so I'll update you.

On June 26th, Mom came out to Florida to help me drive Sydnie, the dogs, and our "stuff" up to Harrisburg, PA. We started our long drive on Saturday the 27th, about 2 hours later than I wanted to. But with loading the car and making sure Syd was ready to be stuck in her carseat for hours upon hours, time just got away from me. We actually made really great time getting into North Carolina that night for a quick stay at a Super 8, though. It was so nice to just lay down and sleep after such a long day. On Sunday morning, we woke up and got going after a stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We had the short part of the drive left; just about 6 hours from Carolina to Pennsylvania. We finally got into Harrisburg on Sunday evening, just in time for Matt's double header to finish up, and we all had dinner together at the Harrisburg Hilton's restaurant. It was a LONG weekend, but Mom and I had so much fun getting to have girl talk the whole way up the East Coast, Sydnie was SUCH a trooper, and hardly made a peep the whole trek. The dogs kept to the backseat, and snoozed the whole time, minus potty breaks. And the best part of it all was getting to see Matt again after such a long time apart! It had been close to a month of separation!

After Mom left on Monday, and Matt finished up his workout with the team, he was able to drive (another 5 hours!) to Mystic, CT. with us for the team's road trip. Mystic was ADORABLE!! Such a quaint, sweet little town, and I was really excited to get some sight-seeing in. I wasn't able to take Sydnie to the aquarium in town because of rain, but the three of us did get to look around historic Downtown Mystic, and even ate at the famous Mystic Pizza! (Have you seen the movie)? Here are some pictures from our stay there:

A little side note about the trip to Mystic:

I think most of you know that I have been a part of an online message board for about a year and a half now. I joined this board on babycenter.com back in March of '08, when I was just newly pregnant with Sydnie, and met some of the greatest women and mothers I've even met! We are from all parts of the country, but lots of us have been able to meet on vacations to eachothers' towns, or through planned get-togethers for those of us who don't live too far from eachother. I have met a wonderful friend, Jen, who actually lives in Orlando, so we've been able to take our babies (Baby Carlos is her little one) on some fun little excursions with us in Florida. Jen, just imagine us in about a year, and the circus we'll be with FOUR babies between the two of us!! And I also was able to take a trip to St. Louis, MO back in April, and met 7 or 8 AMAZING ladies and their sweet babies! But while we were in Mystic, another friend from my message board, Abi, asked if I'd like to meet up. OF COURSE I said yes, and we were able to meet at Matt's game! Abi and her little boy, Gunnar, were just SO sweet, and I am so excited that we were able to get together! Here are a couple pictures from our day together:

After our trip to Mystic, we made our way back to Harrisburg, and other than a quick trip to Altoona, PA for a couple days, this is where Sydnie, the dogs, and I have stayed! We found an extended stay hotel near Hershey that we've made our little home for now. We don't have a washer and dryer, so over the All Star Break, Matt and I did WEEKS worth of laundry at a local laundromat. This was my very first trip to a laundromat, and I can promise you that I'll never take for granted the luxury that is a washer and dryer in your home again! Also over the All Star Break, we took a trip to Hershey's Chocolate World to take in the sights of Hershey, PA and eat lots of chocolate! Of course, after our "Chocolate Tasting Tour", Matt and I were both so sick of chocolate that we only came home with a small bag of York Peppermint Patties and a pack of Kit Kats.

This past month has been my first taste of baseball life with a baby. I had heard friends talk about the challenges that surround family life in baseball, but you really do have to experience it for yourself to truly understand what it's all about. I have a new-found appreciation for "home home", as we call it in baseball. "Home" is your during-season apartment, and "home home" is where you live in the offseason. We miss "home home" TERRIBLY, and are already counting down the days until we can be there together as a family again. This lifestyle is tough, but we are just happy to be together to share it all together!

And in other news, if you haven't heard, our surprise baby on the way is a BOY!! We are thrilled, and for the second time for me, finding out my unborn baby's gender was just a confirmation of what I already knew in my heart. A mother's intuition is VERY strong! I find it hard to believe that I am already four months pregnant... it really is FLYING by this time. January will be here before we know it!

Second Trimester Already?

It is truly blowing my mind how quickly this pregnancy is flying by. Just about 8 weeks ago, I found out I was pregnant again, and in 8 weeks from now I'll be 5 months along!! WOW. I've finally gotten my energy back, and need to reinstate my workout schedule. I feel good; I think my "morning" (more like all day) sickness lasted a total of 3 weeks this time. I haven't gained a pound, and if it weren't for not having a period, I really don't think I'd know I was pregnant. All very different feelings than the first time around. 

Yesterday I had a routine visit with Dr. Benezra. It was one of the quicker visits I've ever had at that office. There was hardly anyone in the waiting room, I was called back right away, and was seen as soon as I was in an exam room. I kept smiling to myself about how much these appointments have changed. While I was pregnant with Sydnie, my trips to see Dr. Benezra were relaxing, and quiet, and I didn't need to pack a diaper bag before hand, or make sure someone else was all taken care of before I headed out the door. Syd was good during the appointment, and I made sure to have a bottle ready right when the doctor came in, so we could get down to business without any interruptions. I told Dr. Benezra how paranoid I had been feeling about this new baby. I told him that I was having a hard time believing that there was actually a baby in there, and that I had still been having strange dreams about twins and triplets. (YIKES. Could you even imagine?!) He listened for the baby's heartbeat using a doppler, and said with a winking eye, "Well, I don't hear a heartbeat, so I'm going to have to order an ultrasound." I must've looked completely blindsided, so he explained that he DID hear a heartbeat, but he had to have a reason to order an ultrasound that was not required... he couldn't just give me one because I had been having bad dreams. I thanked him a million times over :-) So down the hallway we went. Maria the ultrasound tech found Baby right away, and we watched the little one jump and kick around all over the place. It was such a relief to see that everything was perfectly fine, and that there was indeed a baby in there. And here "it" is:

So, all is well with the Chico children and their mama. Now all bets are on... will "it" be a boy or a girl? (My money's on boy).

And The Summer Travels Begin

Sydnie and I just got back from SUCH a great trip back home to SoCal. My visits out there always seem to be such whirlwinds, and I usually have a really hard time fitting everyone and everything in to just one week, but this time I feel like I did a really great job of seeing just about everyone! We flew out on Wednesday the 10th. It was an early morning flight, so it turned out to be a very long day by bedtime, but it was so nice to get off the plane, get into our rental car, and get to Dad's house by lunchtime... all thanks to the time change, of course. On Thursday, Cory had the day off from work, so after Sydnie's morning nap, the three of us drove up to Orange (Santa Ana) to meet Dad for lunch at the Crab Cooker. I had been CRAVING their romano mashed potatoes and crab cakes, so lunch hit the spot that day! We walked around Enderle Centre after we ate, and looked in all the little shops, just like old times... oh, how I miss Orange. We took Dad back to work, and I decided I needed to try Pinkberry for the first time. Ashley always raves about it, so I thought I'd jump on board. I tried a sample of the Original (gross), and Pomegranate, and decided on Pomegranate with some chopped strawberries and fresh blueberries. It was pretty good... different, but good. I think I'll stick with my Goldmine Yogurt though (sorry, Ash!). Then, that night, we all went to Mom's for dinner. Lauren met us there, and we had breaded Tilapia with a peach salsa. SO GOOD! At this point, Sydnie and I were both exhausted, so we all headed back to Dad's for the night.

 

Friday, I planned to head down to Fallbrook to visit with Matt's mom, stepdad, and sisters. Little Lauren had her 8th grade promotion earlier that day (how is that possible?! Wasn't she just 10 years old like a week ago?) I had most of the day to kill before I headed down there, since the girls were doing some end-of-the-year activities with their friends, and Craig and Terry were at work. It worked out perfectly, though, because Ashley was in Anaheim since Shawn is now playing for the Padres, and the Padres were playing the Angels. So, we were able to meet up! I thought Laguna Beach was a perfect spot to take her, since she'd never been. Ashley brought Casey along, and we all had a blast! Ash and Casey both have amazing cameras, and really have an eye for photography. They took some AMAZING pictures (mostly of Sydnie), and I have to share a few.

Thank you SO MUCH, Ashley and Casey, for all the wonderful photos! I know who to call for some maternity portraits and such in the future ;-)

 

Over the weekend, in Fallbrook, Syd and I had such a fun time! We did some shopping in downtown San Diego at Horton Plaza, and I found some GREAT clothes. My best find by far (and I will be ordering a pair in every color) was a pair of white cotton blend pants with a stretchy, elastic waistband! Not official maternity pants, but pregnant friends, you MUST buy these as soon as you can get yourself to your local BP department at Nordstrom! They are cute, comfortable, and totally "wearable" until AT LEAST month 6 of your pregnancy. (And they even have shorts with the same elastic fold-top waistband). Later that night, we ordered chinese food takeout, and visited at the house with Grandma Pam. Sunday, we had a delicious homemade breakfast a la Craig, and listened to Matt's game on the radio. He did AMAZING, but I forgot how stressful just listening to his games are. I look forward to being able to SEE him pitch again... can you believe it's been over a year since I saw him pitch in a game? Shortly after that, Sydnie and I were back on the road, headed up to pick Lauren and Cory up from Irvine on the way to a family get-together in Long Beach. Some pictures from our weekend in Fallbrook:

When Monday rolled around, I knew that our last few days in CA were going to be packed with things to do. In the morning, Sydnie and I headed up to Orange to pick up Michelle, and head to Krysta's house to talk about some of the details of Michelle's upcoming November wedding, and let Sydnie play with Krysta's 19 month-old twin girls, Raechelle and Charlotte. It was so cute to see them play together, and even more amazing to think that toddler hood is just around the corner for us! Baby proofing, here we come! When all the kids crashed an burned at the exact same time, we ordered a pizza for lunch and watched a movie with NO interruptions. What a novel idea! Thanks for a fun day, girls! Later, Sydnie and I headed to visit with "Nonna" and Grandpa. She sure put on a good show for her great grandparents. Syd stood up, holding onto an ottoman for at least 10 minutes. She's growing up so fast! It was so much fun to visit, and I only wish we had a little more time. Here is Sydnie with both:

 

After our visit with Nonna and Grandpa, we headed to Costa Mesa for dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy with Mom, Lauren, Pam, and Marissa. Aside from the creepy busboy who kept touching my child, the night was so much fun! Good food and good friends/ family is always the perfect combination. Here we are after finishing our dinners:

And Marissa reading the dessert menu with Syd
Tuesday was a little more laid back, thank goodness. Not that I didn't enjoy getting together with everyone... I just needed a day to recuperate before the big trip back home to Florida. Sydnie took a couple nice long naps, and I was able to get us packed back up, return the rental car while Meghan kept an ear out for the napping baby, and book a shuttle from the airport to the house. That afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa Proud came over, and ended up staying for dinner. Dad grilled chicken, and we all just hung out and talked. What a great way to wind up a really fun trip! A couple pictures from Tuesday night:

Wednesday came quicker than I thought it would, but it was time to head back to Florida. Dad took a couple hours off of work to drive Sydnie and me up to LAX. I always hate airports, but this was one of the less stressful travel days I think I've ever had. I got Sydnie her own seat on both parts of our flight, and am pretty sure that's the ONLY way I'll do it from now on. Paige said it best when telling me about her experience with buying two seats, "It's life changing." Yes Paige, it was!! We also flew back to Orlando with another young mom, Tara, and her baby, Riley, who we met on the way out to CA. What are the odds of that?! It turns out that we have TONS in common too. Both from SoCal, moved to Orlando area with our husbands, both about the same age, both of us have young baby daughters, we both have January birthdays... the list goes on and on. Riley and Sydnie were both SO good on the flight, and we were both pleasantly surprised at how relaxed we were by the end of the day. Tara, it was a pleasure meeting you, and we will DEFINITELY get together soon!!

 

All in all, the trip was a blast. It was sad to say goodbye to my "real" home yet again, but I missed my house, and my dogs. I love you all, and miss you already! Thanks for everything.

Pictures, Pictures.

Just wanted to share a few new pictures of Miss Sydnie! It is truly amazing how quickly she is growing, and really coming into her own. Matt and I have to look at each other sometimes, and just say, "OH MAN..." This girl has got some serious sass!

Her new favorite trick is to put her foot up on the tray of her highchair. She thinks it is SO funny.

Check out these big brown eyes!

Bath time is probably her FAVORITE time of the day. I think she'd be content to spend hours in the laundry room sink.

Oh my, how I love this face!!

Birthdays and Bows

So, today should make for a nice busy day. I actually love busy days. It's really tough for me to just sit around with no plans, and nothing to do. Matt is leaving Florida tomorrow for the start of his rehab assignment with the Nationals. They're sending him to Hagerstown, PA to start out, which is the Nat's Low A farm team. Sydnie, the dogs, and I will wait a few weeks before we meet up with him up north. This means that we won't be able to celebrate his birthday with him. If you know me, you know that birthdays are a big deal to me, and I love making them special... even for the dogs. So, instead of celebrating Matt's 26th year on the 10th, we're celebrating TODAY!! He's requested his favorite meal of all time, Beef Stroganoff. It's his Grandma's recipe, but was made familiar to me by my Mother-in- Law, Terry. During her last visit, she showed me how to make it, and I only HOPE that it comes out even half as good as hers. I asked what kind of cake he'd like tonight, and said he didn't want cake at all- he wants ice cream. How am I going to put candles in ice cream?! I guess we'll improvise.

In other news, I've been keeping myself busy by making hair bows! A couple friends suggested that I list my bows on a popular buying/ selling website called Etsy, so I could maybe make this little hobby of mine into a business of sorts. So, I'm on Etsy! Come visit me!

SugarAndSpiceBabies.etsy.com

Or, you can just click on my "Etsy Mini" off to the right.

I was referred to an AMAZING graphic designer named Kim (KimsCustomGifts.etsy.com) who helped me "pretty up" my store. He's my logo.

I am so excited to have started this new venture! I've already made one official sale too! So, if you know of any little girls who need accessorizing, send them my way!

The Cat's Outta the Bag.

Well well well... surprise, surprise!! Would you believe me if I told you we were having another baby? Well... believe it. It's hard to explain the wave of emotions that came over me when, after four negative pregnancy tests and one very late period, that word "pregnant" showed up on the first of a whole batch of positive tests. By this point, I thought, "Screw the 'two pink lines'. I can't handle the guessing game anymore." I needed something definitive, and lo and behold, there was a definite answer. I took five tests. They all said the same thing. I thought, "No way." I had just given birth six months ago!! This just didn't seem like the natural order of things, and I felt guilty that I was taking away Sydnie's chance to be "the baby". The only baby. At LEAST for a little while longer!! We knew we wanted our first two children to be close in age, but this close?! I thought I was going crazy. Then I felt guilty for feeling guilty, and it suddenly became very clear to me that this little tiny baby growing inside me was a gift from God. Maybe not my plan, or Matt's plan (yes, he'll come into this story shortly. At this point, I was home alone with Sydnie while he golfed), but this was God's plan. And after lots of tears of joy, I was at peace with that.

Here are 2 of the five that read my fate.

I had only thought briefly about how I would tell Matt we were pregnant again, since I thought it was still pretty far off. I had about two hours before I knew Matt would be home from golfing, so I gathered my thoughts, and headed to Baby Zak's (our local baby boutique) to find a "Big Sister" shirt or something for Sydnie to wear. We know the owner of the store, so when she came over to help me find what I was looking for, I had to make up a story on the spot about this shirt being a gift for a friend's little girl. Yeah right. I thought she was onto me, but she asked no questions. After she gift-wrapped the shirt for me (HAHA!) I was on my way home. I made it just in time to change Syd into her new, size 2T t-shirt. 2T was all they had, and I assumed it was because most "Big Sisters" are older than my child, and probably have more than one tooth. Once she was changed, I put her down for a little snooze in her swing. 

Matt came home shortly there after, and I played it cool, so my plan for springing the news on him would go off seamlessly. I asked him to grab Syd from the swing, since she was awake at this point, and give her a bottle. I quietly picked up the video camera, and the rest is on tape. (Video coming soon)

On May 18th, we saw my OB/GYN, Dr. Benezra. I asked the front desk about a frequent shopper plan, since I seem to visit the office so often, but no such luck. We had an ultrasound, and our little peanut looked just perfect! I'll go back for another appointment on June 22nd.

Here's Surprise Baby #2! We were RELIEVED to see just one little bean in there!

Baby Chico is due on New Year's Day, but Matt is pushing for an '09 delivery for tax purposes. He would. But we are just thrilled, and nuts, and happy, and joyful, and overwhelmed, and giddy with the thought of bringing our second baby into the world. Sydnie will have a life-long playmate, and we'll be able to watch our babies grow up together. God is good.