One Down, Two to Go!

I completed my first trimester in the middle of November, and went back to the doctor for my 12 week appointment. Brian came too, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was amazing! Here is a picture of me at 12 weeks. I'm not really showing yet, but if I stick out my stomach and hold my shirt a certain way, you might be able to see a little belly ;o) Don't mind the fact that this was taken early in the morning and I'm not quite awake yet.

Our First Ultrasound

I went to the doctor on October 15th to verify that we were indeed pregnant, and received my first ultrasound. I didn't realize how nervous I was until that morning when I woke up and couldn't eat anything. Thankfully everything was great, and the doctor told us we had a healthy, happy baby growing. We got the see the heartbeat fluttering on the ultrasound. Here is the first view we have of Baby Foster. It's a bit like a blob, but apparently the head is on the right side and you can make out some legs and arm buds. Oh, and the other circle is NOT another baby. It's just the yolk sac.

We're Pregnant!

On September 11th I decided to take a pregnancy test because I hadn't been feeling well the past few days. Brian was heading to New York that evening for a bachelor party, and even though it was 5 days early I decided to go ahead and take the test because I knew I couldn't wait all weekend. At first I thought the test was negative, but after a second glance I noticed another line appearing. It was faint, but it was definitely there. I waited on the front porch for Brian to get home, and as he pulled into the driveway I ran to tell him the good news. Then we decided it was necessary to verify with another test, so I took one of the digital ones that actually spells it out for you. Sure enough, the word pregnant appeared! We felt that was pretty conclusive. Here are pictures of the first and second test. You can tell that we are really excited, since I am holding the pregnancy test upside down :o) We actually sent the picture of the two of us to our parents in a frame to tell them that we were pregnant!

Someone forgot to tell Europeans that smoking is bad for you

Last night after we returned from Pompeii we went on a night walk through Rome (as I'm sure you noticed with the pictures below). The city was much cooler and a little bit calmer at night, and we got more of a taste of Rome. This morning we went to the Vatican, and had a bit of an interesting experience there. I had reserved a guided tour before leaving for our trip so that we could avoid the ridiculously long lines, but I hadn't paid for it yet which I thought was kind of strange at the time. Anyway, we got there and found our tour guide, and after we'd been standing there for 40 minutes waiting for the rest of the group to arrive he handed out our headsets and immediately the Italian police came over and started talking to the guide. Then they questioned a guy in our group, and the guide came over and told us that he couldn't take us on a tour. Thankfully we hadn't paid him any money, but we were worried that now we'd have to wait in line for hours. We walked up to the Vatican museum, and miraculously there was no line at all! We walked right in, and ended up saving ourselves quite a lot of money! The Vatican was amazing with all sorts of art and intricate detail. And of course, the Sistine Chapel. We also went into St. Peter's Basilica and saw the tombs of the popes. After returning to Rome we visited another museum, took a nap, and then headed back into ancient Rome. We saw Mamertine prison where Sts. Peter and Paul were held, an amazing monument to Italy's first king, and St. Peter in Chains church. Talk to tomorrow on our last day here!

Sitting on the Spanish Steps at the end of our night walk through Rome. Then we tried to take the subway back and it was closed, so our walk continued a little farther.

About to throw a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain

A mosaic shrine and frescoe in one of the Pompeii houses