Our little Vital Zoo :).

I wanted to introduce all of our pets that Drew and I  have adopted over the past 6 1/2 years.  Each has such a different personality, and I can not imagine life without them they are truly our first children.  Drew and I like to think how each will react when Tristan arrives and what kind of bond he will have with them.  It is interesting for me to think about because we have 8 pets.  He will have quite a choice to make when it comes to show and tell in school.  You should see us when we get the pets blessed at the Feast of St. Francis; this year we may have to bring along help.  We did adopt one at a time, so as we got use to the situation with one adding another didn't seem to bad.

I will start with our three dogs in this first blog.  Sapphire or (Saphie as we call her) is our 10 year old Blue Weimeriner.  Her nicknames include Sassa-phrass, Saph-a-lap-agus, and Saphie Dog.  She was the first dog I have ever owned and she definitely has a lot of personality.  She is the protector, smart as a whip, and very stubborn.  She knows a ton of tricks, but sometimes doesn't feel like doing them ;).  Her favorite game is fetch (preferably without other dogs around), and she can run extremely fast.  She is also a very vocal dog and likes to be in charge of the other two.  We unfortunately had to invest in a bark collar for her because of the upcoming arrival of the baby.  It has been a lot more peaceful at our house, and I think we both mentioned that we should have done that sooner.  With baby Tristan I think Saphie will be protective over him like she is with the rest of her pack (or family); although I can imagine Tristan's first sentence being "No Saphie".  Bambi and Rudy may get on her nervous, but she would definitely be there for them if they needed her.  She is the perfect inside dog, and she can be trusted off of a leash.  She always wants to be by our side, and would never dream of escaping the backyard.  We call Saphie our beauty queen with her head always held up high and legs properly crossed.  

Saphie and Jazzy.  This is one of my favorite pictures of Saphie.

Our next dog is my Baby Girl Bambi or Bam-Bams as what we call her.  My dad nicknamed her "Snake Bite."  She is a 3 year-old Red Nose Pitbull.  I have to say she is the sweetest dog I have ever met (and I am not just being partial because she is mine); if you are upset or crying she comes over and licks your face almost like she is trying to make you feel better.  Bambi was our first rescued dog decision we made together.  Drew works at an animal hospital and she came in one summer with snake bites on three different occasions.  Her owner decided she could no longer take care of her because she was an outside dog and would continue to get bit.  Drew had fallen in love with this dog, and asked if we were ready for a friend for Saphie.  Bambi immediately adapted to her new surroundings her favorite place became our bed.  Shortly after we adopted her we discovered she was pregnant, and she gave birth to two little puppies in December of 2009 (we found homes for both).   With Tristan I think she will be almost motherly or a nanny dog, but very very gentle like she is with everything else (except Rudy).  We already call her Nana-Bams or Banana-Bams.  Typically when I am in bed she lays her head on my stomach, and I think she can hear Tristan's heartbeat or his movements.  I like to think she understands what I am going through since she was pregnant before.  Bambi is a very lazy dog and sometimes would rather hold it or wait to eat then leave the bed.  She sleeps in the center of the bed with her head on my pillow.  She has come along way and is house broken, and can now be trusted inside when we leave for work.  She definitely is an angel dog.

Poor Bambi after her 3rd snake bite.  She has been snake free for 2 1/2 years now.

Our third and most recent dog adoption is our little unruly boy Rudy.  He just turned 1 and is also a Red Nose Pitbull.  He has quite a few nicknames Rudy-Buders, Buddha-Belly, Rota-Rutter, The Brick (my Dad calls him this) and Buddy.  Rudy was rescued by a cat shelter when he was found wondering the streets, and needed a home.  Rudy came into Drew's clinic for his shoots and to be fixed, and Drew would come home talking about this dog he really wanted.  Rudy is also very sweet, but is definitely all boy.  He loves Bam-Bams and they wrestle and play pretty much all day.  I can't imagine life without him and I am very attached.  He is an escape artist and has helped us meet most of our neighbors.  We have a 6 foot privacy fence and an electric fence as well, but he shocks himself and goes, we believe, up and over.  Rudy is a very sweet dog as well.  He follows me everywhere and even when I take showers he sits on the bathroom rug waiting for me.  I think he will end up being Tristan's best-friend.  Rudy's favorite thing is belly rubs.  He loves to be petted and cuddled, and typically sleeps right by my feet next to Emma (our cat).  We still have some training to do with him, and we are possibly looking into Doggy Boot-Camp for some extra help.  I remember how Bambi used to be when we first got her, and I think some of his behavior is puppy related.

 Rudy on the left and Bambi on the right.  They are best friends and are always side by side.

 Overall I think we are pretty lucky for the dogs we ended up with.  Not one of them is perfect, but they make life entertaining.  I can't wait for them to meet Tristan and to see how he grows up with his Dogs.

 Our 2011 Family Pictures.

Saphie, Bambi, and Rudy

28 Weeks Down and Feeling Great!

Monday morning Drew and I headed to my doctor's office for my 28 week appointment.  I was a little nervous, because I was having my Glucose test.  We scheduled my appointment for 8:30 am, because I was not able to eat or drink anything from Midnight the night before until the 2 hour appointment was over.  When we first arrived they do the normal prenatal appointment things weigh me, check my blood pressure, and listen for the babies heartbeat (my favorite part).  Then I went in to have a sugar test down by pricking my finger.  The nurse said everything was normal and gave me a Glucose drink; I choose the lemon lime flavor hoping it would help mask whatever it was I was drinking.

The Glucose drink is like drinking pure sugar or syrup.  Since I am not a huge sugar lover (I prefer unsweetened tea) this was hard to down especially in 3 minutes time.  I completed the drink, and then Drew and I were given our paperwork for our hospital stay.  This really started to make the situation real for me.  Would I prefer my own clothes to deliver in or a hospital gown? Do I want the lights dimmed?  How would I like to relieve my back-pain massage, hydrotherapy, etc.?  I am not really sure what I will be thinking or wanting when I go into delivery; I will probably just want my husband, Drew, and my mom by my side and everything to go smoothly (praying).

I love the hospital we are having Tristan at Sacred Heart Hospital in Santa Rosa Beach.  It is 25 minutes from my house and 15 minutes from work (since I will most likely work up until I go into labor).  There are only 4 labor and delivery doctors at SHH so I did not realize how lucky I was to get in with Dr. Esses.  I really want to have her as my Doctor for all of my future babies as well.  Her office is so quaint and nice.  We never have to wait longer then 10 mins for our appointments, and we typically get in and out quickly.

Below are some pictures of our hospital accommodations.  Drew and I are going to schedule a tour very soon.

                                                               Sacred Heart Hospital

                                                                  Family waiting area

                                                                       Baby Lounge

                                                             Labor and Delivery Recovery

                                                             Labor and Delivery Bathroom

                                            If we forget anything for the baby- Baby Boutique

My Glucose test came back normal (thank goodness!), and now we are just preparing and waiting for little Tristan to grow big and strong and make his debut in July :).  I know it is getting closer because my Doctor's appointments are scheduled every other week now.   Let the countdown begin! 

See you in St. Augustine

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering."~St. Augustine

Happy Thursday everyone!  I wanted to continue this blog with our trip to St. Augustine that Drew surprised me with.  When we arrived into town Saturday we immediately took to the streets to explore the 450 year old city.  St. Augustine reminds me of Cape Cod crossed with New Orleans, but it definitely has its own flair.  We walked through quaint little shop after shop.  One good thing is the homemade ice cream parlors on every block and since ice cream has been my main/only pregnancy craving this made me extremely happy.

Drew and I started planning out our day, and how we could get the most done without overdoing it (since this is supposed to be a relaxing trip.)  We decided on walking the streets to shop and get familiarized with the area, then eating dinner, going back to the room to relax, and at 9:30 going on the walking Ghost Tour (would I be able to sleep that night?)

The Ghost Tour was a lot of fun.  Our story teller "Matt" was very energetic and entertaining.  There has been a lot of bloodshed and death that has occurred in the city; because it is so old so there are many, many ghost stories.  My favorite story is about two Standard French Poodles that live in a jewelry shop called Benet.  They sit at the bottom of the stairwell, but when people pet them their hands go directly through the dogs (Dun Dun Dun!)  One of our last stops on the tour was at the fort Castillo De San Marcos.  We took a couple of pictures and there is definitely something we can't explain in one of them.
    

 Ghost Story Teller in front of one of the Graveyards.

                                                     Picture of the Fort with unexplained object

Close up of unexplained object

Sunday Drew and I got up early and walked The Bridge of Lions before breakfast; we were able to take some beautiful pictures.  After breakfast we headed over to mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.  The Cathedral was built in 1797 and is the oldest Parrish in the United States. 

  Massacre Bay at 7am

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

After Mass we had a delicious lunch at O.C. White's gorgeous outdoor area (we didn't take any pictures- oops.)  Next we headed across The Bridge of Lions to Anastasia Island for a little bit of beach time.  I forgot how the Atlantic Ocean is so different from the Gulf as the tides and surf are more drastic.  When we pulled up, the walkway to the beach access was "temporarily unavailable."  Not sure what that meant, we walked over anyway to see that there was not a beach just seawall, rocks and ocean.  Further down we could see sand so Drew thought it was a good idea to climb down the rocks.  Me being over 6 months pregnant (clumsy and huge) thought otherwise, but Drew talked me into it (Sorry Mom).

    We made it to the sand!

Drew and I had made reservations for a sunset cruise on the Victoria III.  This was a lot of fun, and a great way to see the skyline and learn a little history about the bay.

Drew on the Cruise all smiles.

Lighthouse

St. Augustine skyline at sunset.  Do you see our little B&B?

Mission of Nombre De Dios at Sunset.

Sunday night we had dinner at Harry's Seafood another delicious restaurant with a live band (I need to come back when I'm not pregnant.)  The nightlife in St. Augustine is a lot of fun- live bands at every restaurant and bar and everything is within walking distance.  

Monday we finished up our trip with a Trolley Ride of the city, Museum tour, and Carriage Ride pulled by "Charlie Horse." You know how previously Drew said "What is there to do in St. Augustine?" Well, the answer is more then you can get done in just three day's time. There is so much more we want to do and explore that we will definitely be visiting again soon.  The city is only about 4 and 1/2 hours from our house so another weekend trip will be in order after Tristan arrives :).  The city is very family friendly and I saw so many strollers with little babies.  Any friends that want to come along next time are more then welcome!  Enjoy the rest of the pictures. 

Flagler College

History Museum

Charlie Horse

Drew and I on the Carriage Ride! (Yes I am very pregnant, lol)

Since Love Grows Within You, So Beauty Grows.

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows.
For love is the beauty of the soul.
~ St. Augustine

I have to do a little bit of bragging on my wonderful husband.  The months feel like they are flying by and I decided I want to go on a tiny vacation before my baby Tristan comes.  Drew and I talked about this in February, but did not make any definite plans- or so I thought.  Drew asked me to arrange my schedule in April to have a three day weekend, but he said he wanted to keep everything a surprise for me.  One good thing about my pregnancy is it has made me very laid back to the point where I think "Oh it will work out one way or another."  So I did not harp on the subject, and I just patiently waited :).

Saturday morning we packed up the car.  My clues were bringing my bathing suit, beach towels, beach chairs, Drew's fishing gear (hmm...), and tennis shoes for a lot of walking.  Drew kept on making jokes about spelunking in the Tennessee caves, but I really had no idea where we were going.  We drove north to I-10 and took a right heading east!  I started guessing Eufaula?, Disney World? Apalachicola?  Tallahassee? Well, we kept driving and passed all of those exits.  We were headed toward Jacksonville.  I started to get excited, but I did not say anything in case we were not going to St. Augustine.  I have wanted to visit there for 2 years now.  One year I wanted to go for our anniversary, but Drew said "What is there to do in St. Augustine?" so we went to New Orleans instead.  

We drove right into the downtown historic section of the city and it is breathtaking.  I asked, "where are we staying?" as he pulled up and parked in front of a quaint B&B overlooking the bay called Casablanca Inn.  With a smile he said "Right here," and I looked at him in disbelief knowing this could not have been cheap and knowing my frugal husband.  When we walked inside it was even more gorgeous. Built in 1914, with patriot blue walls, decorated with antiques, and fresh baked cookies ready for the arriving guests, we received our key and headed toward the carriage house suites.

Drew had set up a "Discover St. Augustine" package which included, a three day pass on the Trolley Tour, a walking Ghost Tour, tickets to the Historic St. Augustine Museum, a horse-drawn carriage ride, a sunset Bay Cruise, and a bottle of champagne (which I could not enjoy but thoughtful Drew brought me sparkling Welch's Grape Juice instead so I could pretend.)

Here are some pictures of our accommodations.  I highly recommend the Casablanca Inn.  Each night of your stay you receive a $15 bar tab at the Tini Martini Bar (again I could not enjoy, but Drew loved), a delicious fresh breakfast, and 5pm hors d'oeuvres.    

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US. Established almost 450 years ago, you can imagine there is a lot to do and see.  I will not be able to post our entire trip in one blog post so expect at least one more post to follow (yes, we were very busy tourists.)

                                               Casablanca Inn and B&B Established in 1914

View from our B&B (Anastasia Island is Across)

Our Carriage House Suite

Drew very proud of himself for surprising his wife!

                                                     Our package of fun for the next 3 days!

                                                       Historic District of St. Augustine.