White Christmas

Christmas was super fun this year! We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house along with Tiff and Martin and exchanged gifts with them. On Christmas Day, Joe and I hung out together all day and relaxed! It was wonderful. Joe was eager as always to dive into gift opening and we both really did a great job of selecting presents for each other. Among my special treats were books about caring for Leo, the Project Runway Season 3 DVD box set (I am already done watching all the episodes!), and a day at a spa that specializes in prenatal care. I can't wait! Joe received many gifts that will aid in his quest to maintain a healthy lifestyle. He even decided to take a Christmas morning jog in his new Under Armour sweatshirt, gloves and hat, compliments of his Dad and Paula. We were even blessed with a white Christmas, which Portland hasn't seen in 17 years. We are both very fortunate to have such generous families, but our prized gift this year is Leo.

25 Weeks Pregnant

Here I am at 25 weeks pregnant and although I still feel quite big, strangers still aren't recognizing that I am with child. It is 2 days before Christmas and as you can see by the background, we have been showered with gifts! Leo is still moving a ton and Joe not only felt him this morning, he also heard his heartbeat through my stomach for the 1st time!

Jacob's 4th Birthday

My parents, Tiffany and I drove up to see Jacob, Mitch (Jacob's Dad) and Miles (Mitch's Dad/Jacob's Grandpa), to celebrate Jacob's Birthday. Jacob really enjoyed the day and was showered with many birthday and Christmas gifts. We played for hours and hours and Mitch and Miles were very gracious hosts. Jacob loved all the toys he received and when he hugged us all goodbye, he yelled, "thank you for all the presents!" It's good to know that in addition to being completely adorable, he has good manners too!

Otak's Christmas Cheer

At work, we have 2 spectacular Christmas displays: our beautiful Christmas tree and the huge poinsettias! Our tree is decorated in orange hues, which is magnificent and the poinsettias are the largest I have ever seen (yes, they are real)! I don't make a point of being photographed at work, but to capture the true magnitude of these plants, it helps to have a pregnant woman in the frame as a spacial reference. I spend many hours a day in this lobby, so it only makes since that I should represent it in the blog.

23 Weeks Pregnant

In between the process of moving boxes from the apartment to the house, Joe and I squeezed in a moment to get a shot of me 23 weeks pregnant. Not only am I showing off my new figure, compliments of Leo, I am also proudly standing in front of our new house. We are not officially moved in yet, but we are making great strides to ensure that this happens soon. Next Saturday will be the day to get all the furniture moved and since I am pregnant, I have an easy out from the heavy lifting (sorry Joe)!

Grandma Mary's Memorial

When looking back at the 2 services, my Grandad's funeral was a much sadder event. I believe this is due to the fact that he has a living spouse, my Grandma. I did not feel that photos were appropriate for his service. However, my Grandma Mary's Memorial Services was a celebration of her life and a family reunion of sorts. Attendees came as far as Nova Scotia, Canada, where her 7 children were born. It was quite an event and I was able to reunite with family members I had not seen in many years.

From top left, counter clockwise: Shelly's cousin Jennifer and her husband Dan; Shelly's youngest cousins Kiera (very shy) and Asyja; my Dad's Aunt Marge and Uncle Mac with my Mom; my cousin Lisa and her 2 sons Austin and Alex; my dad, his cousin Dave and his brother Jim.

Disneyland - The Rainiest Place on Earth

My sisters Kimberly, Tiffany and I decided to take advantage of our stay in California and visit Disneyland. Unfortunately, we chose to visit on the rainiest day in 2 years and were soaked to the bone. The good news is that there were virtually no lines, the bad news is that I lasted only 3 hours. We returned to the hotel room to change into dry clothes and then my mom used my ticket to return with my sister Tiffany. If it wasn't for Leo, I would have toughed it out, but I have a little guy to consider now.

Dana Point Harbor

My Mom, Dad, sister Tiffany and I made the 18-hour journey by car to Orange County, California to attend memorial services for my Grandfather and Grandmother. Since we stayed in my hometown, San Juan Capistrano, we were able to revisit some our favorite places. Dana Point Harbor was top on our list of must-see places and as the photos show, it is quite breath taking.

Sad Times

The end of November was a particularly difficult time for me, Joe and our families. Joe and I had to say goodbye to the following loved ones:

John Christopher Panos (Shelly's Maternal Grandfather), passed away on November 19, 2007

Mary Cleveland (Shelly's Fraternal Grandmother), passed away on November 24, 2007

Joan Perenyi (Joe's Maternal Grandmother), passed away on November 28, 2007

We are reassured that they are all in a better place now and will cherish the fond memories we have of them.

Registering for Leo

Joe and I had a grand adventure registering for Leo's baby gear on Black Friday at Babies R Us. Luckily for us, customers don't seem to hit up baby supply stores for Christmas deals, so we were spared the chaos that surrounds the busiest shopping day of the year. I have to admit that registering for Leo made this all seem even more realistic. Joe was a champ with the scanner gun, but he got a little trigger happy towards the end. Feel free to check out our registry at www.babiesrus.com under Joe and Shelly Morris (no obligation).

21 Weeks Pregnant

Here I am at 21 weeks pregnant (and the day after Thanksgiving)! Feeling Leo move is now a daily occurrence and always a joy. He moved a lot during Thanksgiving dinner and dessert. Kudos to his Grandma Cleveland's cooking and his Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Martin's pie baking skills. After Thanksgiving dinner, we watched the Incredibles, which was incredible.

Today, we visited a house that we are hoping to rent. It is a 3 bedroom ranch that would be perfect for Leo's first home. The backyard is huge and Leo's bedroom has a built in dresser that would also make a perfect changing table. Cross your fingers!

Leo's 20 week Ultrasound

This is an image from our 20 week ultrasound from Wednesday, November 14. Isn't Leo adorable? We are such proud parents. He is now 11 oz. and about 10 inches long! He was punching up a storm and has been awake for every ultrasound so far. I wonder if that is a sign of what's to come. During the ultrasound, Donna, our ultrasound technician, did an extensive examination of his heart, kidneys, brain, spinal cord and face and he appears to be extremely healthy and is right on track with growth and development. Donna even told us that he had a gorgeous spine and a cute profile. That's our boy! My mom came along to catch her first glimpse of her second grandson; she was also able to meet Dr. Barrett. It was a wonderful day!

The Birthday Celebration Continues

No Birthday (for Joe) would be complete without the Steelers. Good thing my parents came to the rescue and gave Joe a Big Ben Christmas ornament. Joe had been admiring it for a while and my mom took note. To finish up the birthday weekend, my parents invited us over for spaghetti dinner and lemon cake. We finished the night with gift opening; Joe can add a another bookstore gift certificate to his collection. Tiff and Martin provided Joe with another favorite - Belgium beer, fine gourmet cheese and a lovely baguette.

In the top photo, not only are we matching, but you can clearly see the efforts of Joe's new workout routine. Wow! I've never seen him so muscular.

19 Weeks Pregnant

I am now 19 weeks pregnant and an feeling Leo move a ton. I love it! I felt him move the strongest on Friday night and it was amazing. It is such great reassurance that he is thriving.

Joe's 31st Birthday

Joe's 31st birthday was a weekend extravaganza! Although his birthday was Sunday, the celebration started Friday night at Clay's Smokehouse Grill with friends Craig, Lauren, Tegan, Brian and his girlfriend Nancy. We continued our fun weekend with dinner the following night at Pepitas, a local Mexican restaurant that is one of our favorites. Although it was a difficult challenge, I was able to keep Joe from opening his gifts until his birthday morning. Joe received a pair of Air Max Nike running shoes, Blazer tickets and Polo shirt from me, A Baby Bjorn and 2 baby Polo shirts from Leo (although, those are kind of gifts for Leo), a Borders gift certificate from the Wolves and concert tickets from his Dad and Paula. Brian treated us to dinner at Clay's, which was so awesome! My Grandparents also gave Joe a check, which he used to buy some new Polo shirts (what a handsome guy)! As you can gather, there is a bit of a trend with Joe and Polo stuff.

Joe's cool new shoes have a computer chip located in the heel that transmits his running progress to his IPod and then can be downloaded to the computer. Very nifty and high-tech....which is perfect for Joe. He tested out his new shoes at the gym on his Birthday- now that's dedication!

Jacob

On Sunday, November 4th, my parents, Joe and I made the three and a half hour trek to visit my nephew Jacob in Silverdale, WA. We brought Jacob a gift of 2 cars from the movie Cars and it proved to be hours of endless entertainment for Jacob. He is almost 4 now and is incredibly bright, sweet, adorable and simply wonderful. I hope that our little boy will be just like his older cousin; it's great to know that Leo will have such a great pal.

I also think that I felt the baby move for the first time. We were on our way to see Jacob and I felt a bubble popping-like feeling in my lower stomach that could possibly have been our little guy making himself known. I just can't wait until he starts karate practice in my stomach. That will be a thrill!

17 Weeks Pregnant

So here I am 17 weeks and a few days pregnant. Our little dude is starting to make his presence known and I have a hint of a baby bump. I plan to wear this shirt for all the pregnancy bump photos, so it should be fun to see it expand. The baby is now beginning to hear, so Joe has made a habit of talking (yelling) to him through my belly as often as possible. This week, Leo is approximately the size of my palm. I have yet to feel him move, but that is sure to come soon!

Flowers

Joe sent some gorgeous flowers to my work on Wednesday for no particular reason. They brightened my entire week and were a delightful surprise. He's the best husband ever!

The Pumpkin Patch

On October 13, 2007, we joined our friends Craig, Lauren and their adorable daughter Tegan for a day at the pumpkin patch at Sauvies Island. The traffic was horrendous and we didn't even buy pumpkins, but it proved to be a beautiful day! It was almost 70 degrees and I spent most of the trip in my tank top. We love hanging with the Wolves and spending time with Tegan is great "practice."

Welcome to our Blog

Joe and I wanted to create a blog so that loved ones near and far could stay up-to-date on what's going on in our world. We made the trek back to Portland in early June of this year and now call the Pacific NW home once again. Pittsburgh was a great adventure, but we are happy to be back in the town where we met and married. Also, as you all know by now, we are having a little boy and he is due to arrive into the world April 4, 2008. As the name of the blog also reveals, his name is Leo. We wanted to decide on a name early on so that we could start calling him that. He's our little man and we are so excited to meet him.