The worlds biggest party... and garage sale

Queens Day!!

On the way to the hotel in Vondelpark

 

April 30th is the world's biggest garage sale, and seems like the world's biggest party. All of the Netherlands comes out to celebrate the previous queen's birthday. The current queen decided to keep celebrating her birthday on the same day, so it has become a national holiday... and a big street party. It's a day when anyone can claim a spot on the sidewalk and sell whatever they want. People brought out their old shoes... old clothes, even pastries baked at home. It was the craziest garage sale/street party I've ever seen, and everyone is dressed in orange. But it was soo much fun!

The party outside of our hotel- they had a DJ and BBQ set up

part of the garage sale

The inner part of the city is completely shut down to cars and trams for the day, and the only way to get anywhere is to walk. This was unfortunate for us because over the weekend we stayed at Dan and Stephna's house outside of the inner city, and we had to move to our hotel in the downtown area. We had to walk all the way from their house to our hotel which is usually about a 30 minute walk. Well, since we were carrying our luggage and there were so many people on the streets, it took us two hours to get to the hotel!! We had to stop a few times for me to have a breather, and of course we had to eat lunch. But, luckily the weather was fantastic- sunny and about 75 degrees :) After getting to the hotel we hit the streets and enjoyed all of the craziness. At some point we found Lew and walked around with her until she had to catch her flight back to Munich.

After such a crazy night (the night before- Queens Night- is just as crazy as Queens Day), and a crazy day, the city was pretty much asleep by 8PM. By the time we finished with dinner around 9:30, everything was completely torn down, and people were back in their homes. For the next two days I think the city was nursing a hangover because the bars were empty, and no one was around! It was a really interesting experience and I would LOVE to go back next year for the party! What a fun day!

One of the street spots- throwing eggs at the people behind
the board! This guy got hit in the forehead!

We found some more 0% alcohol beer :)

Goldie Gopher even showed up at the party! Or is that Alvin??

One of the areas with a street party

 

There are a lot of garbage cans around the city... but this was
the aftermath of the day. Garbage was everywhere.

A birthday celebration for Lew in Amsterdam

On the weekend of April 30th-May 4th we went to Amsterdam to meet up with my friend Laura and a few of her friends from Munich. It was a birthday celebration for Laura- she just celebrated the big 3-0. Hopefully she doesn't mind me saying that! But she did mention all of the things that we have been through in the past decade and it got me thinking... A lot can happen in 10 years!! My 30th birthday is coming up in a couple of months and it’s fun to think of all of the things I have accomplished in the past ten years. I digress...

Old Gouda... mmm

So Amsterdam! We arrived on Friday and spent the afternoon with our friends Dan and Stephna who recently moved there for work. We then met up with Laura for some amazing Thai food at the Bird in the Chinese quarter. Wow, it was amazing! Josh had a red coconut curry and I actually liked it! Typically I don't like curry, but this was so good. I'd love to bring Julia there to see if they really have authentic Thai food :)

Pickled herring

going for it...

uhhh...

Friday was pretty low key, and so was Saturday. The weather on Saturday was cold and a little rainy, so we decided to hit up the Albert Cuyp Street Market where the boys tried the pickled herring.  Dan wasn't sure what he thought of the pickled herring... I think he's still trying to decide if he likes it. The quote of the day, “show me your waffles!" Later on during the weekend that quote took on a whole new meaning, lol. Josh wanted a picture of the waffles we purchased at the market and that was how he got Dan and Stephna's attention. And by the way, the waffles are delicious!!

"Show me your waffles!!"

Brouwerij 'T Ij

After the market we made our way over to a brewery in a windmill called Brouwerij 'T Ij where we ate some terrible beer cheese, and the others enjoyed some good Dutch beer. Eventually we met up with Laura and her friends for drinks at a really cool little pub called the Aren's Nest. It was a fun little spot to try some great Dutch beer. They even had some 0% alcohol beer for me- Bonus! For dinner we found a great Argentinian restaurant and I had the best steak I've found in Europe! No joke! It was sooo good, even though they had to cook it all the way through for the preggo lady... Even Josh approved. The restaurant was called Manzano and is on Rosengracht in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam. If you make it to Amsterdam and are craving a good steak, I would recommend this place!





Birthday beer at the Aren's Nest- they had 0% alcohol beer!! :)



Captain Dan!

Sunday the weather cleared up and even the sun came out! It warmed up a little bit which was perfect because we had plans to go out on the canals for the afternoon. Dan and Stephna rented a boat and we toured around the canals for a few hours. It was so much fun! Forget doing the guided tours of the canals when in Amsterdam (unless you want to know exactly where all of the historical buildings are). Rent a boat. It was only 50 euros per hour for ten people. Talk about a good deal!





my favorite canal of the day- there were so many flowering
trees, it was beautiful

Amsterdams version of Tower Bridge

Monday was crazy!! It was Queens Day and city came out to party!! Tuesday was great too- Josh and I went out to the Keukenhof Gardens. We have a lot of pictures from Monday and Tuesday so I'll do separate posts for them. Stay tuned...



I think they were testing this one for Queens Day

Growing pains

The past two weeks have seen a lot of growth, both literally and figuratively... In the literal sense, my belly seems to be expanding at an exponential rate these days and it is getting more difficult to exercise. I can still walk long distances, but I have to slow my pace so I don't get cramps now. My back has been a little sore, but I think it's only because I'm carrying extra weight- hopefully the yoga I started will help with that. It's also strange that I can't see my feet anymore when I look down! In order to see them I have to lean over. But it's all worth it! I have also been craving ice cream a lot! If it was possible to eat a tub of ice cream every night, I absolutely would.

21 weeks

Yesterday morning I had my 21 week ultrasound and little Bambino has been growing a lot! According to the measurements, Bambino is now 469 kg (a little over a pound), and everything looks good :) He/she has all 10 toes, 10 fingers, a working heart, stomach, kidneys, etc. It was fun to see everything again and be reassured that Bambino is healthy. They also printed some pictures for us to keep (I love that part). We stayed strong in not finding out the gender of the baby, but as Josh said "it's hard not to ask if it's a boy or girl when the doctor tells you to look away from the screen!"

Queens Day, April 2012, Amsterdam

On another note, the last week or so has also given me a lot of room for growth mentally and in my relationship with Josh. After leaving Amsterdam I was not feeling very good because I over did it with the walking. After returning to Milan I was unable to walk very much without cramping and I was just exhausted. Unfortunately, Josh didn't leave Amsterdam with me to go home to Milan, he followed a day and a half later after a work meeting in London. He didn't get to see the initial shock that my body went through, and I failed to talk to him about it. He was frustrated when things weren't getting done, and I was frustrated that he didn't understand that I needed rest and recuperation. All I wanted was to heal so I could get back to the daily grind without getting crampy. It was a mistake not to openly communicate how I was feeling with him and it created some tense moments for us last week. I'm learning that even though he can't go through what I am experiencing, he should at least get a chance to know what I'm going through. I have to be more open about the changes going on each week with my body/emotions and allow him a chance to respond to that. It wasn't fair that I kept him in the dark about that, and then got frustrated when he didn't understand.

July 2011 in Rome

These moments crate an opportunity for growth between us and it is bringing us closer together in the end. I just need to be open and trust that he will do his best to understand. After all, he is the main person I can really rely on in Italy. I love you Josh!!


PS. I have posts pending for our Amsterdam trip... coming soon...  they are just waiting for pictures to be edited.

The halfway point!

20 weeks on Queens Day (Monday)! Orange
is the color of the day!

So, this week marks the halfway point of my pregnancy- 20 weeks!! It's hard to believe that it's already half over! It seems like just last week that I found out I was pregnant. I guess time flies when you're having fun!

Since my last preggo update things have been going great. I'm pretty sure that about a week and a half ago I started feeling little Bambino moving around!! Some people tell me that it's like butterflies or air bubbles moving around in there, but to me it feels like little muscle twitches. At my last ultrasound Bambino was moving up a storm, and now I'm starting to feel it. It's the coolest thing! Josh is pretty excited about that too and is looking forward to when he'll be able to feel the movement.

This past weekend we were in Amsterdam for Laura Lew's birthday celebration. It also happened to be the national holiday Queens Day. Needless to say, we walked EVERYWHERE. I'm realizing that my body is not as "mobile" as it used to be. My feet are completely torn up and sore from walking/standing all weekend, and I started to feel some nasty cramping as a result of walking so much. It's starting to sink in that I can't push myself to do things now and it's a little frustrating. Things that were so easy before suddenly seem like work to me (IE: walking to the train station with a suitcase on wheels). I have to realize that my body isn't my own anymore (at least for the next few months) and I have to listen to what it is telling me.

Other than that, Josh tells me that I'm a happy pregnant woman. At this point I'm feeling good and just trying to enjoy the experience. I guess thats good! I don't seem to be too stressed out by things at this point, but sometimes I get frustrated when I feel that Josh doesn't understand what I'm going through (and how could he??). But Josh has been really wonderful through everything and is very supportive. When we were in Amsterdam I had serious cravings for french fries, but that was the case before I was pregnant too... Everywhere you walk there is a stand selling fries, and when you can't smell the sweet smoke from the "coffee shops", all you can smell is french fries! I was good though and only ate them once... ok twice :)

More to come on our trip to Amsterdam. Stay tuned!

Me and Bambino at the Keukenhof Gardens on Tuesday

Family Time, More Family, and Preggo update

 Weeks 17 and 18 brought a lot of family time and some interesting new pregnancy experiences. It's interesting how each week things change during pregnancy. But first, the past two weeks have given Josh and I lots of time with our familes. The weekend after Easter we headed up to northern MN to spend time with Josh's family. His brother Casey married his high school sweetheart Leslie, and it was a great time to catch up with everyone and have some fun. In Milan before we flew to MN we found a chocolate egg for Easter with Pooh on it and we had to buy it for Josh's cousin Amy. She is in LOVE with Pooh. She was so excited because inside the egg was a coin purse with all of the characters pictured. These eggs are the typical candy given to kids in Italy on Easter.

Cousin Amy and her Pooh Bear coin purse

 After our trip to MN, we flew back to Milan just in time for the arrival of my Uncle Ted and his wife Alice. They have been on a two and a half month (or maybe longer?) road trip of Europe. They started in Paris, drove down to Spain, then across the coastline of the Mediterranean to Italy. We were able to spend some time with them for a few days in Milan and show them all of our favorite spots. Including the city center with the Duomo, Galleria, Castello Sforzesco, and Pizzeria Spontini. We were also able to get tickets to see DaVinci's "Last Supper" after many months of trying. We also brought them up to Lake Como to Bellagio and Villa Carlotta (more on that and "The Last Supper" later). Overall, we had a great time with them and it was great to see more family in Milan.

Bellagio, Lake Como

Outside Castello Sforzesco

In addition to the family fun, weeks 17 and 18 of pregnancy have been pretty good. The flight back to Milan was a little uncomfortable (mainly because my back was sore from the uncomfortable seat), and my feet seriously swelled!! After being in heels all day on Saturday for Casey and Leslie's wedding, then getting on a plane the next day, my ankles balooned. I had some serious kankles for a few days. But thankfully they have gone back to normal!! Now I understand when people say how good it feels to put their feet up! I could almost feel the swelling go down instantly!

This morning I had an ultrasound and it was so much fun!! Everything looks good and I was able to see little Bambino moving up a storm! I could see the heart beating, the stomach, and the legs and arms moving. I could also see the bones that have formed in the arms/legs. He/she was even nodding his head! It was pretty amazing. I'm not able to feel the movement yet, but hopefully soon!

Pizzeria Spontini with the Pizza Nazi, Alessandro

Cannoli for their anniversary

Right now, Josh has the camera (and our pictures from Como) in Belgium. Next weekend we'll be in Amsterdam for Laura Lew's birthday and Queens Day. I'm so excited!!! I'll post more updates with pictures after that. Ci vediamo! Ciao!

Can't you take a gas-x or something??



Baby Carter!



For the past week Josh and I have been in Minnesota visiting family and friends, and also getting ready for his brothers wedding this Saturday. It's been fun seeing everyone but it is seriously exhausting! I was always a little run down just from the emotions of seeing so many people when I wasn't pregnant, but multiply that by about 10, and you have me on this trip. Every night I could go to sleep at 7PM and sleep right through the night! Jet lag may also have something to do with that though... But I was able to see Holly, Brady and their new baby boy Carter- that was so much fun!! He is just absolutely adorable! We also spent Easter with my family which was nice. My mom made a bunny cake that was delicious! But, the poor thing had some frosting troubles... She frosted it on Sat night, and on Sunday morning it looked like he worked out and sweat off his fur! I also had breakfast yesterday with my cousin Jenna (who is also pregnant and due on July 1st) and my uncle Bruce. It's been a fun trip so far!



Me and Holly



The sweating bunny cake

So, at the risk of sounding crude, it's time to talk about some funny things that have been happening in week 17 of pregnancy for me. Well, it's actually something that has been happening since I got pregnant- GAS. Normally this is not an issue for me, but since becoming pregnant I am so gassy! Josh has been traveling almost every week for the past couple of months, so he hasn't really experienced it... until this week. He thinks it's something in the food in MN that's affecting me, but really I think it's little Bambino. Each night the poor guy comes into our bedroom scared that he's going to get a ticking time bomb... Apparently I've woken him up at night because I've dropped a few bombs in my sleep. He keeps telling me that I'm giving him the "dutch oven". I certainly don't mean to!! If I could, I would change that situation! Last night he finally said "can't you take a gas-x or something?!?" It's really embarrassing, but I can't help it!


Me and cousin Jenna- the preggos!




I'm not sure if every woman deals with this during pregnancy, but I know I'm not the only one! I just read Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs, and she talks about being in a similar situation. Although, her reason for the gas was a little different... It made me feel better knowing that this was something that others have to deal with. If you haven't read her book, I would highly recommend it! I was laughing the whole way through.

16 weeks!

This week marks the 16 week point for me! It's fun to look at pictures of my pregnant sister in law and cousin... I think I'm bigger than both of them and one is due in June (or July?), the other in August! I'm not due until September... I could be in for a big belly!! Not to mention a big baby if Josh's family history has a say in it...

After starting week 15 I broke down and bought a few maternity things. For the past few weeks I've mainly been wearing leggings and dresses, but now my dresses are starting to get too tight and just awkward. It was time to get some new pants and a few shirts that are more comfortable. I just want to say that I LOVE H&M! They have some really cute maternity stuff.

The past two weeks have been a little rough (other than the shopping), but I can't complain too much. The worst part about being pregnant is getting sick! You can only take certain medications and the tried and true meds for me are off limits right now. Last week I came down with a sinus infection and usually I take Mucinex D, but I had to take something else. At least it helped! After two days in bed, two sleepless nights and four days of rest, I'm feeling much better even though I'm not 100% yet. At least I can sleep through the night now without any issues :)

On Saturday night I really felt like my stomach was stretching and it was the strangest feeling. Everything inside of me felt like it was getting moved and my skin felt really tight. I guess little Bambino is growing! This week he/she is supposed to be about the size of an avocado and will double in size over the next week or two. I might be in for some more stretching!

Ok, that's all for now. I'm off to teach some English at Dior!

16 Weeks