Hey look! I’m updating my blog.

So as I mentioned, we ended up moving from Vermont to Idaho last week. It took us SIX DAYS. And it was an interesting trip.

We left Vermont around Tuesday afternoon, due to having last-minute car repairs at some small town garage an hour into the trip. This town didn’t have an ATM. But it did have an old man who sent me on a wild goose chase for one while our car was being repaired. And then, after I came back (SOAKED IN SWEAT!) and asked him to clarify he said “Oh, you mean like the thing you put a credit card in? Ah, noooo. We don’t have one of them.”

I don’t really have many photos from that first day, due to forgetting to pack batteries at the last possible second. But here’s Stephen, determined to get to our first stop, my grandparent’s home in Syracuse, as soon as possible.

And here’s Dublin, looking so much like his daddy. (Complete with spit-up down his chin!)

We arrived in Syracuse and spent the night with my grandparents so they could meet their first great-grandchild.

The next day, we left after noon and stopped somewhere in Pennslvania I think.

The next day, we set off for Cleveland. Did you know that there is a 90-degree turn on the interstate through Cleveland? Because we sure as hell DIDN’T, until we saw this sign, while driving 80-something mph. Yeah. Word to the wise, pay attention in Cleveland!

I think this is Progressive Field?

Somewhere in Indiana we had to stop. I do not recommend driving in 100-degree heat with a cat and infant in a car with a BROKEN A/C. Not fun, friends.

The next morning, we left around 3 AM. We got through Indiana before realizing we had left our cooler (containing Dublin’s EXPENSIVE Ready-to-Feed formula) at the hotel. Thank God for my phone, because I was a Google master and found the nearest 24hr Walmart just in time for Dublin’s feeding.

Funny story. The following photo? I’m not sure if it is Illinois or Nebraska. But nevertheless, Stephen was awed. “I’ve never seen so much sky all at once in my life!” Even in Iraq, Stephen says he’s never seen such flat, never-ending land.

We stopped at a rest area in Illinois or Indiana. I can’t remember.

Continuing on….

We stopped at a McDonalds, where a TOP-SECRET job interview was happening right behind us. No, it wasn’t for any McDonalds position. It was for a BANK. At McDonalds. Yes.

Stephen used his MAD HAIR SKILLZ on Dublin and gave him a mini-mohawk.

We had to stop again early that day, since we’d been on the road for fifteen hours, again, still without A/C. I was looking for a cheap hotel and what I got was the following:

A Iowa motel with not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR BEDS! In one room! One bed happened to be chained to the wall. And orange/brown shag carpet? Extending into the bathroom? Woah, this was getting too rich for my blood.

The shower stall had a TON of staples from where the owners had staple-gunned it to the wall.

I can’t believe I let Dublin sit on that comforter.

But hey, there was a cute bunny outside our door!

Nebraska…yeah, well, I don’t so much have any photos from Nebraska. Twice we jumped off the interstate to go find food and BOTH times we found ourselves in towns that Steve so accurately named “The Place You Go To Die” (via murder, that is). Seriously. One town had a population of 74 people and FOUR BARS. But, their motel had COLOR TV!

We made it through Nebraska and stopped in Laramie, Wyoming, but not before hitting Steve’s happy place, the Cabela’s store in Sidney, Nebraska.

(He has his sleeve rolled up because he had a serious sunburn on his arm, his sleeve kept aggravating it. His tattoo was so swollen!)

It’s been four years since I last saw the Rockies. Steve had never been that far west, so he never once saw them before this trip. He was pretty much awed.

Along the way, we passed through this town with a population of 300 people. Apparently it was their annual party, so everyone was at this Elementary School, partying it up.

In the following photo, you see a sign for HOBACK VILLAGE. Now, I’m immature. So whenever we happened to cross the HOBACK RIVER (there was a sign posted each time), I would squeal, “Oh my favorite! The HOBACK!” Steve was actually amused.

I forgot how much I loved the landscape. (Click through to see more)

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we finally made it to Idaho on Sunday!

Here we are as a family, yesterday, after spending some time at the driving range.

So that’s it! Except, while we were at that scary motel in Iowa, I took a video of Dublin talking and squirming. I swear, he is the most talkative little guy ever. The photo won’t embed properly, but here is the link. Enjoy!

That’s all folks! How was your week/weekend?

I’m working on Dublin’s birth story. Yes, tomorrow he will be three weeks, so I should knock it out before I forget important details, like how I nearly gave birth in the toilet, or how our good friend Ben walked into the room just as my doctor was stitching up my lady bits. It was very similar to that scene in “Knocked Up.”

But something I’ve kept off twitter, this blog, myspace, facebook, etc is the big news.

Stephen was offered a job making DOUBLE what Stephen & I currently make. Combined. Sounds awesome, right?

Yeah, welllll… This job? Is in Idaho. Which is not exactly Vermont, where we (obviously) currently reside.

Holy cannoli.

Regardless, its good money. Which is awesome. But this means several things:

1. I have to resign from my job. A job I’ve had for four years and loved so much. Cry. Sad.
2. We have to get rid of essentially everything we own that won’t fit into our Corolla. Which means EVERYTHING. Except a playpen, some clothing and stupid stuff. Did I mention we’re leaving in ten days? EXACTLY. All our furniture needs to find homes. Fast.
3. We will be moving 2500 miles with a 4-week old infant. Who needs us to stop every 3-4 hours for feeding/changing.
4. We will be living (in sin!!!!) at my father’s house until we find a place to live. Awkward much?
5. Stephen has only lived in towns that have a MAX population of 5,000 residents. The city we’re moving to has 123,000 residents. Woah nelly.
6. Did I mention that I have to unload my three bedroom house in ten days? I did? Well it deserves to be mentioned again because it’s giving me heart palpitations.

So yes. Stressed would be one way to describe how I’m feeling. Also? In less than two months is our wedding. I still have to find a dress, but hopefully Jillian Michaels and her infamous Shred video will drop me a size or two before I buy at the last possible second.

Any recommendations for our big cross-country move? We’re also towing along a cat. How do we let the cat out for potty breaks? What kind of food should be bring for the four-day (we’re stopping at my gram’s for a day) journey? ANY advice would be appreciated!

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Originally uploaded by barbetti

Typing this while on my side. Hopefully we meet this guy today!

I’m already 38 weeks pregnant…how did that happen?! My mom threw me an amazing shower (Jack & Jill, so Stephen was there) this Saturday. Below are photos.

Amazing, delicious and nutritious (okay…maybe not that last one) cake and cupcakes!

My best friend, Sona, came into town just for the day to come. Here she is with my momma.

Dark, but one of the few of my mom and I.

Chug that wine, Stephen! You’ll need it!!

Hah, Stephen was so excited for the gifts, I had to remind him to read the cards, too.

Three presents in, I was wiped. Steve on the other hand was having a good ol’ time. Though, that could have been the wine….

A glimpse of Steve’s pink hair (from the mohawk he had in Boston) through his hat!

Halfway in, they remembered the hat they had made for me to wear.

Hands-down, the one photo that sums up our baby shower. It was awesome (even though I was blushing so bad I had to cover my face).

So…I’m a little late to the facebook meme, but since I have very few blog friends as facebook friends (sad!), I am posting this here.

When I was twelve, my grandmother asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I asked for Parents magazine, believe it or not. And I got it, for three whole years. I loved it.

I have a hard time being friends with girls. I get along with guys so much better; I think it’s because they don’t flock to drama as inherently as females do. Our wedding party consists of two (confirmed) bridesmaids and FIVE groomsmen. Yeah.

I am not easily emotional, but whenever Stephen’s 2010 deployment to Afghanistan comes up, I ALWAYS tear up. I try to blame it on the hormones, but honestly? Stephen is the most enigmatic person I know; his energy inspires me every single day. I cannot imagine a year of sleeping without him. It’s not the “being alone” that scares me, it’s the fact that HE won’t be here.

When I was in high school, one of my nicknames was Nadia, after Shannon Elizabeth’s character in American Pie. Only because I resembled her. Before I gained the 50+ pounds I now carry (more so with the pregnancy, oy!), I received that same comparison from random strangers all the time.

I used to be HARD-CORE into the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) when it was still the WWF. I begged my dad to buy tickets when they came to Denver and he did. Seeing The Rock all rippling and sweaty and MANLY made my seventh grade year.

My brother Danny and I used to beat the hell out of each other growing up. As a result, I broke several fingers and a few have grown back crookedly. Ask to see my right ring finger! Whenever Steve is being ornery, I flash my fingers in front of his face and relish the disgusted reaction he produces. Because I am MATURE.

I have a creepy obsession with Totinos Pizza Rolls. Gross, I know, but I lived on them for a whole weekend while I moved into my home.

I am seriously allergic to most spider bites. The bite can swell to a dinner plate-sized lump. I’m also allergic to nickel metal – it can lead to anaphylactic shock. I am highly skilled in epi-pen application.

I’ll admit it’s hard for me to get in the mood to clean, but when the mood strikes, I go crazy. I will literally clean my house, top to bottom, in a day if you let me. I usually end up over-doing it, so I’m laid up for days after…which essentially defeats the purpose of not being lazy, right?

I absolutely hate talking on the phone. I barely accumulate 50 minutes a month on my cell plan (we don’t have a home phone!), but I’ve been known to rack up 2,000+ texts in a single month.

I spent 15 years of my life in Colorado and the last five in Vermont…and I’ve NEVER skiied or snowboarded. Pathetic, right?

I can’t stand husking corn. I would rather shovel manure for hours than husk even one corn.

For the past two years I have had chronic migraines. Pregnancy has only aggravated them it seems, but the prescription I was on is unsafe for pregnancy. I have no confirmed triggers and they sometimes temporarily paralyze one or the other side of my face and cause “auras.” They are probably the most frustrating thing I’ve ever dealt with.

I met Stephen pretty randomly, right before we shared a tray of jello shots and in between him and my cousin’s fiance having a paintball/bb gun fight, inside their house. Our connection was instantly strong and intense.

I have a Tony Little Gazelle exercise machine, purchased on the Home Shopping Network at 3 AM. It serves as a wonderful towel rack…and that’s about it.

I love music. I have no rhythm, but if anything reggaeton kicks on, I go wild. The beat just sings through my veins.

I have SO much fun with Stephen. A lot of people said we’d get over our “honeymoon” phase, but we never have. I have never had such a fulfilling relationship in my life! He and I have a blast whenever we’re together, whether it’s at a drag race in Jersey or curled up in bed with movies and our dear friends Ben & Jerry. And it feels so great to be so completely happy.

The first CD I ever bought was the Macarena. It came with SEVEN different versions and I know them by heart; I kick ass at the Macarena.

I honestly don’t think my body was ready to become pregnant, unbeknownst to me. As a result, it seems to be working overtime. I don’t regret it, any of it, for one second. I just pray our baby is happy & healthy.

Buying this house and keeping on the payments has been the single most terrifying moment(s) of my life.

I’ve always been rather awkward and I’ve chosen to embrace it instead of complain that I’m always falling over myself.

I completely adore Middle Eastern food, which is my biggest gripe about moving from the outskirts of Denver to the outskirts of the middle-of-nowhere-Vermont.

My best friend Sona and I once skipped class to tear up and down I-70 in Denver, stealing political signs on election day in 2004. We ended up collecting several hundred signs that we hastily threw in the back of her Geo before speeding away.

I love everything about learning a new language and I have the study guides, miscellaneous flashcards and cds all around the house to prove it.

I understand the whole forgive and forget schpeel, but the forget part? Is unbelievably difficult for me. Some of the people I love the most have coincidentally hurt me the most significantly. And when I feel down, I immediately return to where I was when they hurt me so. It’s a cycle I need to figure out how to break.

Thank you all for your comments and emails on my last post. Receiving feedback on such an embarrassing/scary experience made me feel so much better about it all!

I ran into a good friend of mine last week, one who I am so similar to in the physical sense and laid-back/easily excited sense. I haven’t seen her since she bought me mai tais on my 21st birthday. A year and a half ago. Mmmm mai tais.

I’m uncommonly tall for a woman, 5′11ish and so is this friend. We have the same frame and same general coloring, so naturally we probably carry a baby similarily. Except when she saw me, belly and all, she exclaimed, “you’re huge! You are definitely going early!” (Coming from her, I’m not offended, because she is one of those kinds of friends.) She said that I looked about 4 weeks further along (at least, dear God), but also that I was all baby, which makes me feel good every single time I hear it. When she carried both her babies (girl and boy), she says she didn’t look nearly as far along as I at this point in my pregnancy. But really? This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that I look further along so also not the first time I’ve had a slight panic attack over it.

Remember back in January, when I was hospitalized twice? Well when they weighed me right before admitting me the first time, they calculated I had lost 20 pounds in a matter of four days. Seven pounds of that was weight I had gained while pregnant. After they hooked me up to IVs and I started eating again, I gained all twenty of that back…and then some as time has progressed. All in all, I’m carrying an extra 20 pounds on me from before I conceived, which might not sound like too much, but I still have 8 weeks left and I was overweight to begin with. I know it’s all baby (ahem and boob) weight because I still fit into my pre-pregnancy pants, I just have to wear a belly band over the top button. (I’ve sworn off maternity pants because the only ones long enough are $40 a pop. I’m cheap.) Granted, my shirts don’t exactly fit as easily, but those haven’t been as difficult to find.

But tangent over, the point was – I do not want to go early. At all. My due date is EXACTLY six weeks before I have the whole summer vacation off. If I go on time, I will have three whole months maternity leave. If I go early? Depending on when, I have to go back to work for a week (or two) after my six weeks is up, find a sitter for that time and then take summer break. Because I’m only receiving pay for two weeks of my six week leave, I can’t exactly afford to be broke and hire a sitter while I go back to work. I had much more sick time saved up, but you know, being hospitalized for 8 days (plus bed rest for two – those 10 days are two weeks sick time) will suck it up quickly, as will all the half days I had to take when I spiked a temp (anytime I have a fever of 100 or more, I have to go home and lay down) or all the time I took going to my frequent doctor’s appointments, an hour and a half away. So Stephen keeps smugly insisting that I will go early while I tell him and my belly, NO. WE WILL NOT GO EARLY.

Funny enough – exactly one month from my due date, we’ll be in Boston overnight for a Red Sox game (and visiting the aquarium! Stephen wants to hit Cheers as well) and Stephen is betting I go while at the game. How funny (TERRIFYING) would that be?

We had our first scare, the first “OH SHIT” moment of my pregnancy last Sunday. Quite honestly, if you are not a fan of TMI, I don’t recommend you continue to read. But no one told me, no one warned me, so in a way I want to discuss it, especially if it will calm the fears of any other pregnant woman.

After Steve and I finished…well…having sex last Sunday (gah! Sex talk on my blog!), Steve alerted me to the bathroom, where he was. He was covered in blood. And I looked at myself to see the blood all over me, too. I’m not talking a few drops, I’m talking like crime-scene amount. It was horrifying. Steve and I started at each other, wide-eyed, not saying anything. He ran out of the bathroom and a moment later I heard him jingling keys and running down the stairs to warm up the car.

I plunked myself down on the toilet and started attempting to clean myself up, but I just started shaking, trembling and then the tears came. I couldn’t breathe at one point. All I could think about is how the baby wasn’t moving anymore and that I had a crazy amount of blood leaving my body. I shakily dialed my hospital and was patched to a doctor. After I explained what had happened, she helped me calm down and explained that there is a lot of blood in my cervix at this point in my pregnancy (32 weeks) and blood loss is not unusual, especially being anemic as I am. But she told me to lay down on my left side and wait for the baby to kick twenty-times. If he didn’t within the next hour, then I needed to go straight to the hospital.

I cleaned myself and lay on the bed, assuring Steve that he could turn the car off and laid on my side, anticipating any kicking.

Forty minutes later, I had felt nothing and I couldn’t help but start crying again. Steve was shaken, too, and tried his best to soothe me but he was terrified. And almost if on queue to my tears, I felt the first kick. Then another. And then it was like heartbeat-paced…unrelenting. Granted, he seemed to take advantage of the situation and jam his little feet up in my ribs for good measure, but I didn’t care this time. He quickly surpassed the twenty kicks in a matter of seconds and we finally fell asleep an hour later, while he was having a soccer match inside my uterus.

My doctor called me the next morning to check up on the situation and though I was still bleeding, it wasn’t even close to the amount it was before. She bumped up my doctor’s appointment an entire week so she could run a few checks, just in case, and mentioned the possibility of bed rest, which…no no no. I failed the last time they put me on bed rest and that was only for two days! Obviously, if it comes to it, I’ll rest, because after that scare and the many promises I made to God in my prayers that night, I will do anything to keep this baby cooking as long as possible.

So since I know several mommies that read my blog, I have to ask…have you ever heard of this, or experienced something similar? Feel free to email me if you prefer not to discuss such personal matters all over The Internet as I have. This never happened to my mother or friends, so I’m wondering how often this actually does happen.

I just am an EPIC fail of bloggers. I miss you all! The only browser I have consistent access to is my phone’s mobile browser and it won’t let me sign into wordpress for some reason. Oh well.

I am able to tweet consistently and keep up with facebook/myspace and my bloglines feeds, thankfully. But I’m not sure when I will have Internet to update from home, so follow me in twitter, will you? Or email me for my facebook/myspace info.

Also! We have set up a website for our wedding! Some of you have the link already, but if you don’t and want it, leave a comment or email me and I’ll send it to you! I just don’t feel comfortable listing the domain for anyone to see.

As of today, I’m 31 weeks, which basically blows my mind. The baby kicks ALL THE TIME. It’s awesome. And my back pain is starting to be bothersome, not to mention my ankles and feet are seriously swollen. I don’t know if I’m too early for that or not. My blood work came back and said I was anemic, which doesn’t surprise me a whole lot.

But you know what did surprise me? The nurse, after explaining anemia a bit to me, said, “remember to call if you develop any fever or minor kidney pain. You haven’t had an easy pregnancy, Whitney…”

This is my first pregnancy, so I don’t know any different. Is my pregnancy more difficult than most? Sure, I’ve been hospitalized overnight for a total of 7 combined, I’ve been dehydrated, on two different antibiotic, twice a day for the remainder of my pregnancy, had pretty incredible vomit (sorry)…. But really? This just doesn’t feel THAT bad. I’ve complained my fair share, but I know this could be worse. It doesn’t feel like I’ve had to go through anything I couldn’t handle, anything that for one second would make me regret being pregnant. Not at all. So if this general discomfort is what I need to go through to be able to hold our beautiful, wonderful baby in two months, then this, in my mind, has been relatively easy. And more than worth it.

Stephen fell asleep the other night with his head on my stomach. He does that sometimes, he loves feeling the baby kick and hear his movements inside. But last night, it put him to sleep. He was so peaceful looking, it reminded me of how much this baby has centered us, our goals and the future we’ve laid out. When he woke up, he brushed his cheek across my stomach, like you would across the top of a baby’s head, and then kissed my stomach in the same way. It was so touching and just another reminder of how lucky, how blessed, I am to be with this man and to be carrying his child.

So again, whatever pain or discomfort I have ahead (oh, I know it will only get worse), I can’t help but feel that it’s all worth it, more than worth it. I’m so excited for our future.

That’s what I was told I had. All is better now, though I’m on four pills a day for two weeks and then two pills a day for the remainder of my pregnancy. I have weekly check-ups and have to go in immediately if pain returns or I run a fever again.

But! For the first time, I felt the baby actually kick. Stephen has felt him kick as well. He usually only does so if it’s bedtime for me or I’m lying on my side, but seriously? By far one of the coolest things about pregnancy, at least for me so far. It’s true what they say, it feels exactly like gas bubbles.

I’m now exactly 25 weeks, which makes me six months (belly shot will come). I can’t believe how fast this is all going!

I’ll post more soon, I’m relying on an iPod Touch whose battery is slowly dying at the moment.

Oh, yeah, go Steelers!