21st and 22nd week in Europe

Hello fellow Americans!

We're back from Europe and I couldn't be happier. Europe is amazing and I've never seen anything like it but I'm so glad to be home. Some of the places we went to were Frankfurt, Wurzburg and Schweinfurt, Germany and Venice, Florence, Monte San Savino and Cortona, Italy. What a place! I was so lucky to be able to go on this trip! I didn't get too tired with all of the walking but in the beginning of the 3rd week, I was getting tired. Italy is VERY hilly and we were climbing hills almost everyday. But man, the view when we reached the top of the small villas in Tuscany was incredible. I didn't drink too much red wine in Italy or too much beer in Germany...just about 4 sips at dinner each night if it was a new brand that I hadn't had yet. Man, was it good! The German beer was out of this world! The good thing though, was that we didn't end up spending too much money because I couldn't buy any clothes in any of the shops (they wouldn't fit my big belly) and couldn't buy any wine or beer for myself. Although, they did charge for water in Europe AND to use public bathrooms! (about .80 Euro per trip) That could have been a nightmare for any pregnant woman!

Baby girl T is now almost at her 23rd week and all is still very well. The trip went great baby-wise and guess what?!?! I saw her kick from the outside of my belly! I've been feeling little things here and there (mostly still just butterfly feelings), but one night while reading in Tuscany, she started kicking me and on the fourth kick, I lifted up my shirt and saw her kick three times on the left side of my belly button (which is now flat across my stomach). I almost died! Totally crazy experience and it really hit home that there is a human being in my stomach, holy crap. Actually, she's kicking me as I write this...

This week JC and I are going to register for our up coming baby showers and we're so excited. I've gotten some great advice from my fantastic girlfriends who are moms so I feel pretty prepared. If anyone has any advice on what I need and what I don't need...let me know! I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff that I think I need and then never use it. Having a master's degree in marketing and advertising, I know that the baby market is just SATURATED with products that are actually useless for babies but are marketed otherwise.

Below are the 21st and 22nd week belly pictures (did you think I'd forget?).

The 21st week belly picture was taken at the Hotel Abbiza in Venice, Italy (an old restored monastary)


The 22nd week picture was taken at the top of an old castle in Montepulciano, Italy (Tuscany). It's where they make Bordello wine.