Better late than never...

My first semester of grad school is over and now I'm getting time to catch up on items I wish I had kept up better....especially the blog!  Is this a look into how it will be once Baby A is here too?  I hope not...I really do want to keep a journal and keep everyone updated on our family, so I'll have to figure out a better way of structuring time for my blog!

To catch all of you up on the last couple months...
 I did my last big run at 29 weeks on Thanksgiving Day.  I hadn't run a 10k (6.2) since pregnancy began, but I had been looking forward to this race the whole time.  A week leading up to it, I was pretty anxious....but with a lot of wonderful other runners and supporters, I made it--AND RAN THE WHOLE TIME!  My Juju was a great motivator because she stuck with me the whole race.  I started with David and Azaria, but they decided to hang back after a bit...and I caught up with Ian, Julie, Harry, and a few other friends.  Julie and I stuck together the whole time and I will always remember finishing that race with her.  Love my cuz!!
IAN was awesome...and beat me this year!! :)  I'm glad he did because he was able to snap these pictures..including one of my baby bump!!  This was at the very end.  I ran 6.2 miles in 1:05--much better than I expected.
 Here is a Saag/Rathmell/Alevy shot after the race--loved seeing Lauren and Stef out there for a hot second!!!
My Alevy family---HOW PROUD I WAS TO HAVE THEM ALL THERE WITH US!!  Claude came in shortly after I finished--he and his brother Michel ran in regular pants!!!  Of course Joshua, David's younger cousin, finished before any of us...still young and on fire!  Caty and Judy also participated and I was so glad they didn't all hate me by the end of the race.
I was most excited to have my hubby out there!  We've never done a race together and while I wish we had finished it together, I'm either going to have to slow down or he's going to have to train for that to happen.  He and Azaria did the 6.2 miles together and that's a lot for David, considering he prefers his couch over any of that craziness.
 We hosted Thanksgiving at our home--and cooked the turkey on our Kamodo Joe!  It was delicious!!
I love having everyone together--and especially that we were able to have Alevy's and Rathmell's together this year.  Michel took the photo so I could join the group--so he's missing from the table.  Michel, Caty, and Joshua drove in from Houston and I loved getting to know all of them better.  One day down the road...I look forward to making a trip to visit them!  Good excuse to head out to Texas, of course, we'd be seeing my Ian as well!! :)
 This year we celebrated Hanukkah along with Thanksgiving....SO MUCH FOOD!!!  Bubbe hosted a night of Hanukkah at her house and I ate WAY TOO much.  I'm supposed to get an extra 300 calories each day, but not at one meal!  I had some pretty awful cramps...and learned that I have to be more mindful of how little space there is for extra food.  Aunt Lori and David were quick to join me on the couch, but I don't know what their excuses were ;)
 First semester DONE!  This is a snapshot from one of my last classes--a few of my peers were acting out a committee meeting--and it created quite a bit of laughter at times.  I'm going to miss the friends I've made and hope that we stay in touch...
I am taking one class next semester and will start the assignments as soon as my teacher posts them online--I look forward to having some school work stimulation when the baby arrives, but I don't want to stress out if I can't submit assignments--so hopefully I can knock them out earlier.
This is SOME of the Spring 2015 MSW class--such a great group of social workers!!  :)  I'm on the back row, far left.

Check out this hunk!  HE'S BUILDING A KITCHEN TABLE!!!  It will have plenty of room to eat on--and our meals will be even more amazing because we will sit around the beautiful table that he (and Claude) built for our family.  This was taken a couple of weeks ago--and it still needs to be planed, sanded, and stained--but I will make sure to post a photo when it is complete!  LOVE IT.  Especially love that it reminds me of my Dad--and how lucky I am to have a husband who enjoys similar, rewarding projects.
 I'm sure you've all been waiting for a baby bump update!  ;)  31 WEEKS and going strong!  I'm feeling well and still getting around comfortably.  Since running the Thanksgiving race, I've cut back to walks--after one wog, I was aching and having trouble sleeping all night-so walking it is.  Although, sleeping seems to be the most challenging, even without going on a run.  Baby A loves to move around when I'm trying to sleep, especially early hours in the AM and later hours when I'm relaxing.  I do love the movement though :)
 My Azaria--so spoiled :)  The futon is the only piece of furniture we actually allow her to be on, and she's really enjoyed keeping me company while working in the office.  This was taken last week after we had a nice walk together and I then worked on the computer for a few hours.
David and I attended the "New Life Series" class at UAB yesterday.  It was a great class and we were given a blonde, blue-eyed baby girl doll to practice swaddling and 'bathing'.  We learned a lot about labor and delivery, natural or medicated, and we met other couples who are expecting around the same time.  Out of the 15-20ish couples who were in attendance, I think there were only 2 of us who are trying to go natural. 


That's all for now, folks!  I hope to blog again before the New Year!  To everyone out there, Happy Holidays and Happy 2014!!  May it be a wonderful year for all ;)  

Love and hugs,
C

Update! Update! Update!

It's been much too long....I hope you all understand, between grad school and being social, I haven't had time to update!!  Today, I'll get you caught up with more than you bargained for ;)

First, I'd like to start by saying Happy Birthday to...
my Uncle Graham overseas...didn't have a chance to tell him yesterday, but tried skype when they were probably boogy-in the night away.
and to my Mama Pat who turns 84 today!  We had a fun celebration last night at Full Moon with the family.

Third doctor's appointment coming up

The past couple weeks (since my last blog) have flown by fast!  School is taking up so much of my time, but each week just seems to go, go, go.  Last week, I was more successful (than the previous week) with getting up with Zsa at 5:15 and running her before going to Tuscaloosa Wed-Fri.  While I felt great through the school day, I came home exhausted around 5:00pm.  Emotionally drained and exhausted both Wednesday and Thursday night.  I'm loving my Fridays because I only have one class and I come home earlier to knock some things out and study.

Me and baby A at 17 weeks!

We're learning the ropes of grad school!

15 weeks
I started the Masters of Social Work program at UA (Tuscaloosa) 2 weeks ago.  It is intense!  I keep telling Baby A how lucky s/he is to be receiving such a high education this early in development :).  Deep down, I'm hoping that this is the start to our little one's caring and helpful personality.  But who knows...I'm definitely already loving this little one because I know s/he will be wonderful, in his/her own way.

The weekend before school starts

My weekend went by fast!  I kept my schedule open because I wanted to relax and catch up on sleep, but what I ended up doing was the opposite.  I managed to get more done over this weekend than I've probably done over a week since before our wedding.  It felt good to be busy!  I'm hoping that as I get acclimated to my school/work schedule, I'll exhaust myself to sleep better through the night.  The lack of sleep has not been fun.

I attended my first prenatal yoga class at Villager Yoga on Saturday morning.  I ran 4 miles on our treadmill before class, so I already released a lot my energy AND I knew I'd get a good stretch.  The girls in my class ranged from 9 weeks to 38 weeks, if I remember correctly.  Everyone looked so healthy and happy, I hope that I can keep up through my whole pregnancy!  The class meets Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, so it's perfect for me and a treat to look forward to twice a week.

Preggo Diaries: Hearing the heartbeat for the first time!

Thursday, August 15, was our second appointment with Doctor Hoover at UAB.  While the appointment was still long (1.5 hrs), we didn't have as long of a wait in the lobby as we did last time.  We were very excited when Nikesha, one of the nurses, asked if we were ready to hear the heartbeat.  I asked David to record it for me, so he used his film option on his iPhone, but he only filmed the side of the bed.  I have played back the sound of the heartbeat only a half a dozen times since we were there yesterday.

 

If we film again during out appointments, I told D that I'm ok with with him filming me...as long as I'm not disrobed completely!

The Preggo Diaries I

So, it's officially out--I'm pregnant!  I am 13 weeks and looking forward to my second doctor's visit this Thursday!

Baby Alevy

 We are so excited to announce that we are expecting a little one in February 2014.  It's still hard to believe.  I love how excited David is in this picture :)

I've hit the big 3-0! And more exciting news....:)

What an exciting weekend I have had!  My 30th birthday was on Friday and it was a fun filled day.  After David left for work, I had a wonderful run with my sweet & energetic Azaria.

Belated Honeymoon Post

I'm not going to berate myself for my unsuccessful blogging, but I'm going to try harder!!!

David took me to Italy for our honeymoon in April and I thought I would share some of the highlights with y'all!  I knew I was lucky to travel with my hubby to Europe for this special occasion, but I didn't realize just how lucky I was!  Italy is amazing.  Why? 
My top reasons:
1)Rich in history, architecture, and art
2) Cities we visited were easily accessible and adventurous by foot
3)Beautiful cultural differences
4) So many people...everywhere! 
David relaxing in the Boboli Gardens looking onto the heart of Firenze.

Our first stop was Florence, aka Firenze in Italy.  We stayed for four nights and learned more than I ever imagined about this city!  We joined the ArtViva tour company on a couple days and learned history on the streets and ventured into the Duomo, Uffizi Museum, and the Academia.  Our guides Klaus and Florinda left wonderful impressions on both of us and we highly recommend ArtViva when traveling to Firenze!
Walking across the Arno River in Firenze--we had beautiful weather on our whole trip!

 While visiting Siena, in the Tuscany region, we did a wine tour with Franco and an Australian couple. Franco picked us up in the morning and took us to a a couple vineyards and a delicious lunch in a small town.  The trip was supposed to be from 9-5, but we all had such a grand time, Franco didn't deliver us home until closer to 7.  I loved seeing Tuscany, spending the day with some locals as well as our fun Australian friends, and tasting delicious wine!
At our first vineyard stop with the owner (in the middle) and our lovely Australian friends.

 Our last couple nights were in Venice (Venizia).  We LOVED our hotel!!  They welcomed us with much enthusiasm to celebrate our honeymoon...and gifted us with a bottle of Prosecco.  It was a beautiful bed & breakfast and it made for an unforgettable end of our travels.  Venizia is a neat city, but not only were we worn out from all the excitement, but I did not love how crowded it was with tourists.  What I did love was our canal tour...  
Enjoying Venice from the water...highly recommended!!  We preferred a speed boat tour over a touristy gondola experience ;)

David and I loved being in Italy together.  Prerequisite for our honeymoon: a new place for the two of us to explore together.  And that we did!  For those of you who are curious, we did eat lots of delicious food and drank amazing wine.  But what I loved the most was the beauty and history of this country.  One day...we hope to go back!

Sleepover Party!


David and I had a guest on Friday night—John Marshall!  Our vivacious and smart four-year-old nephew took the plunge and pulled an overnighter at the Alevy house.  His parents and sister, Amelia, joined us for a cookout and when the sun went down, we said “sayonara Rathmell’s!”

We had a great time!  We watched a few episodes of ‘Go, Diego, Go’ and ate popcorn, too.  John Marshall was very particular to make sure I prepare my popcorn the way his Daddy makes his.  I know David and I enjoyed it, but the full bowl of popcorn indicated I did not meet the Daddy standards.  We cleared out our tv room and blew up an air mattress where John Marshall, David, and I curled up to read a few books before going to bed.  I was especially excited that JM let me read MY favorite book ‘Love You Forever’.  We turned on his LOUD noise machine, after reading, and he was out like a lightbulb.  Not Aunt Caleigh, though!!

I'm such a lucky gal sharing my Friday night with these handsome boys and my fun pup!

Having him spend the night brought up a lot of thoughts for me.  Not good, right before bed!  I didn’t sleep much, but my thinking has inspired me to get to work.  I’ve wanted to start this blog for some time—now’s as good a time as any other.  I have a lot of wonderful opportunities, blessings, and teachings happening in my life and I feel like it’ll be more concrete if I record it.  Who keeps journals these days?  I know that if I keep up with the blog, this will be a great way for me to track what has happened to me AND share it with people who are interested.

So…welcome to my blog!  Initially, I need to get the hang of it.  I’ll try to decorate my inter-world to my liking, but still appeal to YOUR eye.  I have always enjoyed dialoguing with people, so I welcome feedback and comments.  I’m challenging myself to blog twice a week to begin with.  My plan is to transition away from a certain social networking website and rather update my blog when the creativity is brewing!

Back to my sleepover!  Even thought JM woke up around 4:30 to tell me his life story, he was a great listener and used the potty and returned to bed until 7:30.  Again, he definitely slept better than me!  Oh well.  He made my weekend when I asked him if he liked the French toast I made him for breakfast.  “Yes, Aunt Caleigh.  I like it better than pancakes!”  And the story that followed was about how much he loves pancakes, so I’m pleased I have another fan of my Edgar’s challah French toast!

Who wants to spend the night next weekend?!