Sigh of Relief!

We had our 16 week check up at the OB today. Nothing to abnormal: stand on the scale, pee in a cup, how are you feeling. They did do a DNA swab, but no need to get into the details of that. I am not even sure exactly what they were testing with that.

We also got to hear the heartbeat! 140 beats a minute strong! (between 110 and 170 is what they look for, so Goober is doing good!) I love that sound! I must say, I breathe a sigh of relief every time we have an ultrasound or get to hear that heartbeat...knowing that everything is going ok!

We declined to have the tri-screen testing done, (this tests for downs, spinabifida, and other abnormalities) for the fact that it wouldn't change anything for us. We would never chose to terminate the pregnancy given the results of the test. So, to save ourselves the money and the anxiety of getting ourselves nervous about false postivies, we opted out.

Our next appointment is in 4 weeks and we have another ultrasound scheduled. I can't wait to see little Goober swimming around!

I keep waiting to feel movementts. I think that I have felt movements a few times, but am unsure if that is what I am really feeling. Could be gas! =)

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Oh the food!!!

I could go on and on about the food that we ate while in Rome and Assisi. I couldn't get enough of their pasta! Oh Man was it yummy!!! Most of it homemade of course! The first place we, The Paradissio, in Assisi was simply fabulous! The first pasta was a lemon cream sauce on ravioli. Then came regular spaghetti with such good marinara sauce. And a cream puff for dinner, but not as good as the ones my dad's friend used to make. I couldn't resist taking pictures.

Then at our first dinner in Rome, the food was just as good!! Again the pasta was amazing! The noodles that we had were called "Choke the Priest". We didn't eat pizza there, but I thought it would still be fun to take a picture of it.

Being that I am pregnant, I just had a small sample of wine at each place we ate, so instead I was downing the water, "no gas". Usually these bottles in front of me would be empty wine bottles. Not this time!

In true Italian style the food always kept coming! Just when we thought we were done, another course was on its way to us. We always knew we were done when we ran out of forks!

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Proof that I was there

Often when I am on these trips, not only do I not take very many pictures of people, there are usually few pictures of me. (Expect on everyone else's camera)

Every once in awhile people will offer to take a picture of me on my camera, so here is a picture of me in front of San Domiono Church. This is where St. Clare lived and where the San Domiono cross was when it spoke to St. Francis. (It has since been moved to St. Clare's Basilica.)

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Great way to grow grapes...

We stopped at a Winery in Assisi. We had a great time!!! It was a beautiful afternoon, actually the first day that they sun came out while were in Assisi.

We had a great afternoon of wine tasting and a light lunch that complimented the wine very nicely. I left there with a bottle of wine, a bottle of organic olive oil and an apron. ALL FREE! Gotta love the perks of the job!

One of the things that I loved was the roses at the end of each row of grapevines.

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A pilgrimage to...a closed door!

I was so excited to visit this church in Rome that a few people told me about. It is St. Augustine's near Piazza Navona. The reason I wanted to go there, was because there is a statue of Our Lady there, that women go to to pray for a healthy birth of their baby. So, I was going to pray for myself and a bunch of my friends who are pregnant. Also, there is a Carvaggio painting there, (he is one of my favorite artists) and the relics of St. Monica. I was soo excited to go there!!

I finally figured out how to get there, and had a few others from our group join me. So, we had about an hour and a half of free time to make our way there. We were told that it was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel, so off we went!

We finally found the church, and were so excited to head up the stairs to find.. A CLOSED DOOR! Silly Italians close their stores and churches at lunch time!! It was about 2:00pm when we got there and the church was not going to be open again until 4:00!! I wanted to sit on the steps and cry!!! I was so sad. So, we decided to kneel on the steps in front of the door and pray there instead. I know our prayers were still heard, but I really wanted to see that church!

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Moved to tears...

We had mass in the crypt of the Vatican this morning and as we were walking to the chapel, I passed John Paul 2's tomb!!! I stopped in my tracks and put my hand over my mouth in awe!! I didn't realize I was going to turn the corner and there he was!!

I had to move quickly because we had to get to mass, but i went back after mass. I stood there for a good while, and was just brought to tears. He is so special to me! I took out my list of prayer intentions that I had for everyone I am praying for and prayed for everyone at his tomb. I then asked him to give our little Therese Marie a kiss from Mom and Dad! I didn't want to leave.

I have a little free time this afternoon so I finally found an internet cafe, and am about to get some lunch and then we head to the Scavi tour, which is said to be the best tour in town! Sign me up!

Last night when we arrived in Rome....I went out for some yummy pizza with some of the group, found some gelati, and then took a walk to the Vatican. It was a beautiful night...cool crisp air, but not too cold. I walked into the arms of our church and was welcomed HOME! It was beautiful! I called Brian as I was standing there looking at St. Peter's and of course, again, was drawn to tears, wishing he could be standing there with me.

Our time in Rome as just begun, but I know it will go fast.

More to come...

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Mucho Pax!

Assisi has been wonderful!! Our time here is almost through and then we head off to Rome. It has been a beautiful visit. The weather hasn't been great, but the sun has shined a little bit each day.

Yeasterday I was in awe of seeing the tunic's of Francis and Clare. Something about seeing these articles of clothing that were so old and worn by these wonderful saints, just amazed me. I stood there with my mouth open for a long time. I didn't want to leave!

Today we went to LaVerna mountain, which is where St. Francis would often go for 40 day retreats. This is the mountain where he was when he received the Stigmata about 2 years before he died. It was a beautiful place with a beautiful view! It was cold and foggy when we arrived, but when we were outside as part of the tour at one point, the sun came out and the view of the valley was magnificent! Again, I just wanted to stay there and soak in the grace and the peace!

This is where I stood and enjoyed the view:

Tomorrow we are going to St. Mary of the Angels church where the Portciuncula is, which we have the replica on campus of. I plan to go sit in the back corner like I do during my holy hours at the Port on campus!

Oh and just a quick word about the food.....AMAZING!!!! The homemade pasta and the homemade sauce that we had last night...I could have eaten it forever!! I think I need to move here to learn some more recipes and cooking skills!

I will post pics as soon as possible. Until then, I have posted some from online of where I have visited already.

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Another trip going on the books...

I am about to be leaving for my Rome & Assisi pilgrimage. I am waiting in the Pittsburgh airport now for my flight to JFK and then I will be hanging out there for a few hours before we take off for Rome. Let's hope they have free i-net in JFK, too!

I am really excited about this trip. What a blessing to go on pilgrimage to two such wonderful places!! Last time I went to Rome was in 2000 for WYD and was working so much the whole time that I didn't get to do a whole lot of site seeing. Site seeing will be a major part of this trip, so I will get to work and site see! I didn't even get to the Sistine Chapel last time, so it was a good excuse for me to go back some day!

I have never been to Assisi, so I am really excited about that! I have heard so many wonderful things about this place and how incredibly peaceful it is there!!! Know that I will be keeping everyone in my prayers! If you have any special prayer requests, let me know.

I will be updating my blog as much as possible while I am gone.

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Starting to Show...

It's not the best angle...but you can see that I am starting to show! Brian took this picture of me at the rehearsal for the wedding in Florida. I will post more pictures as Baby Goober gets bigger!

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Teresa & Jeff Bishop's Wedding

I just got back from shooting a beautiful wedding down in Florida. Not only was the couple beautiful, the weather was as well! It was a beautiful day of celebration and love!! It was a blessing to be there to celebrate with them! Here are a few samples.
You can see the rest on the website that I created for them.

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Therese Marie has a new sibling to pray for!

I have been waiting very patiently to write this post...we decided to wait until we got through the first trimester until we made it public knowledge. So, I am happy to report that I am 13 weeks 3 days along and Baby Goober (as we have affectionately named the baby for now) is doing great and is due to arrive on Mother's Day (May 10)! We had an ultrasound last and got to see Goober moving around and squirming and everything! It was AMAZING!!!

So, after getting through some minor sick feelings in the beginning, I am still pretty tired and want a nap daily, I am feeling great! None of my pants fit and this is the one time in life that I am happy about it!!! The Bella Band is my new best friend. I can wear pants that didn't even fit me before I got pregnant!

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue through this pregnancy for a healthy journey and for our preparations as parents on this Earth. Being a Mom and Dad to Therese Marie is easy...she's such a saint! =)

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