24 Week Belly

So I figured it was probably about time for an updated belly shot. Here I am at 24 weeks.

My bellybutton -- which frankly, I'd never been a fan of -- has started to morph and protrude. Now I'm thinking, you know? It really wasn't so bad before...

I've been feeling great and continue to be blessed by an easy-breezy pregnancy. A couple of things you may or may not care to know:

1. I've been really into oatmeal the last couple weeks. Oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar...mmmm. Thinking about it right now is making me hungry.

2. Peanut butter and jelly also hits the spot in a big way.

3. Last week I had a weird thing with nacho cheese doritos dipped in cottage cheese. But then the boys finished the doritos, so... that was the end of that. Probably for the best.

4. I'm back down to one breakfast, which is also probably for the best. November was a big first breakfast/second breakfast month for me. It was also a big sweets month. I couldn't get enough cookies. I was obsessed.

5. The baby is moving around like crazy. She gets very active in the evenings and then again in the early, early mornings when Roma gets up to leave for work. It's pretty amazing to feel movement.

In other news, Sarah and I continue to go to the gym four days a week. (Probably good considering the amount of breakfasts and cookies consumed in November. )We do the ellipitcal machine twice a week and lift weights and do water resistance training on the other days. It's fun having a workout buddy, especially one who laughs at all my jokes.

Speaking of buddies. This little guy remains one too:

It has been special to be able to spend so much time with him. He calls me "Derol." He calls Roma "Noma." He does hilarious and random things like out of the blue announce: "I fast Jackson," and then sprint across the room. He's just lots of fun.

Lots O Snow

It's been a cold, snowy week here in Spokane, though last night, the snow really started coming down. This morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland.

The boys had some major shoveling to do in the walkways,

the driveways...

& off the carport roof.

It might be just me, but I'm thinking that the mail isn't going to make it today...

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. We're having round two tonight :)

The Verdict Is In...

We're having a girl!

Her due date remains approximately the end of March.

She was incredibly squirmy during the ultrasound today. She must take after her father. He can't seem to sit still either :)

My belly has grown nearly two inches in the past week and a half. Sarah was kind enough to snap some shots of me. Here it is looking nice and round...

(20 weeks)

And here is just a funny out-take. This is me "raising the alarm" as Jackson reaches for my ice water. He's really into ice.

Some of you might be wondering how my other baby is faring. Rest assured that Klitchko is doing well. He has adjusted nicely to Spokane. He's buddies with my sister's cat, Tieton. He hasn't been nearly as pesky towards the other animals as he has in the past. Apparently all Klitchko needed to take the bully out of him was a big-brother cat and a toddler that keeps him on his toes...

Funny Favorite

How'd you like to stumble upon this trio at Fred Myer? Would that not put a smile on your face?

Even better, imagine later stumbling upon Steve & Roma -- still side-by-side -- each with an outstretched arm on the cart, simultaneously sipping blueberry Odwalla drinks...

Wish I'd snapped a shot of that :)

Belly Photos

For those of you dying to see the progression of my belly, here are a couple of photos. I am admittedly, horrible at remembering to take these. Luckily, Sarah is good about pinning me down to snap the occasional shot :)

(13 Weeks)

(18 weeks)

We are scheduled for an ultra sound on the 15th of this month. We'll finally be able to get a glimpse of our little buddy. To say we are excited is an understatement. We will also be able find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Believe you me, we want to know :)

Happy Halloween!

It appears that Halloween, well, Halloween costumes to be more precise, were just the thing to finally motivate me to upload pictures off of my camera. Now, I see that I have months of fun pictures and little anecdotes to share. If only Halloween had come sooner then I wouldn't find myself in the predicament of deciding what to share first. Seeing as Halloween was the catalyst, I suppose it's fair to start there.

Roma and Steve went to a Halloween party Saturday night and thus, found themselves in costume. Steve went as Michael Phelps. He naired his whole body and later, described doing so as "one of his three Halloween regrets." The other two? Partaking in the tequilla jello-shots and participating in a "rap-off."

Roma went as Mr. Clean, which in case you were wondering, is marketed as Mr. Muscle in Ukraine.

Mr. Clean did not participate in any rap-off :)

Jackson was a lion for Halloween. He especially liked being able to roar in his costume. In fact, he liked it so much that he was still roaring when he woke up this morning. Sarah and Steve took him to three of their neighbors houses to trick-or-treat. I don't think he necessarily understood what the heck was going on, but boy did he know how to grab himself a candy bar out of the bowl :) He was super cute.

Here he is, mid-ROAR!

Joyous News

Roma and I have been back stateside for nearly two months now and since even before then, we've been sitting on some very joyous news.

Forgive us for not sharing sooner, but we wanted to be certain. And yesterday, in the doctor's office, when we heard the amazing sound of a rapid little heartbeat, we knew we finally could be.

Get ready world, come March there will be one more Romaniuk among us...

And Just Like That, It's Time to Go

Today is our last day in Ukraine. I can't believe how fast the past two months flew by. (Does it feel like it went fast for you too?) I am both very happy to be going back to the states and very sad to be saying good-bye to Roma's family. We likely won't make it back here for two or three years. By that time, Veronika will be speaking in complex sentences. Ideally, our plan is for Roma's parents to visit us in Washington next year. Knowing that there is at least a tentative plan to see them makes it a little easier to say good-bye. Tears will be shed all the same though.

Since it will be awhile until we're all together again, we tried to really maximize family time this past week. On an especially muggy evening, the whole family went out for beers. (Though technically, only Papa and Roma drank beer. The rest of us drank kvac. So it'd probably be more accurate to say that the whole family went out for kvac. Except Veronika. She went out for a banana.)

We also went on one final shashleek. Below, Mama, Oksana and Veronika wait for the meat to cook, though all the other usual suspects were in attendance as well.

Roma and I had brought over the fixing for smores and -- without any time to spare -- we finally remembered to make them. They were a big hit. Everyone kept asking how to translate "smore." But how do you translate something that's not even really a word? Veronika didn't care too much to try any smores, though she sure went to town on the Hershey's chocolate.

Our train leaves tonight at 10 PM. Papa, Mama, Oksana and Veronika are driving us to the train station. Our friend Kolya is taking Yulia, Sasha, Alona and Kuzya there as well to help send us off in style. All I can say is that there will definately be some fanfare on the train platform tonight.

Roma and I will arrive in Kiev at 2 AM. Our flight leaves at 6:30 AM. We fly from Kiev to Paris to San Francisco. From SF, we fly to LA and then to Palm Springs where we will be joining my family on the tail end of their vacation. I'm exhausted by the very thought of our epic travel day but I take heart knowing that this little guy is waiting for us at the other end.

A Couple of Things

For some reason, the stuffed animals here really creep me out. It's a combination of their bright, obnoxious colors and weird cartoony eyes. I don't like being in the same room with a bunch of them at once. Would you want to be alone with too many of these psychedelic play pals?

We had a lovely time celebrating our anniversary on Sunday. We took our family and friends to dinner at our favorite little restaurant in Bar. Roma's parents never go out to eat so it was special to be able to do so with them. Here's a family shot:

A couple weeks ago, Roma and I successfully tracked down nearly all necessary sushi ingredients and I was able to make sushi for the family to try. I was very worried that they wouldn't like it because it's comparatively, so different from what they usually eat. I was particularly convinced that Papa wouldn't like it. I've seen him try different dishes made with traditional Ukrainian ingredients and say: "This, this isn't food. Borshch, meat, potatoes, that's food." Sushi was a hit, however. And to my great delight, Papa liked it best of all.

We are off to the village today. I believe we will spend the night. It will be our last time seeing Grandma and Grandpa during this trip. Considering his grandpa's health, I know that saying good-bye will be hard for Roma. He has always been very close to these grandparents.

When Roma was young, he'd spend entire summers with them helping out around the farm. When he was still a little kid, he'd sleep in the same bed as his grandpa. Grandpa would tell him bedtime stories as little Roma would drift off to sleep. In his sleep, Roma would always sling his leg over his grandpa like a body pillow and hug him all through the night. There are still nights where in his sleep, Roma will sling his leg over me in the same manner.

Big good-byes are never easy.

Cats, Cows & Other Tidbits

On Saturday, it was once again our turn to walk the cows. (Insert forced smile here.) This time Roma and I took the morning shift and left the afternoon shift to Papa. You may remember how I was all giddy to walk the cows the first time? Yeah... distant memory for me too.

After our turn with the cows, we returned to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Roma lent himself to some manual labor and I hung out with the cat.

Years ago, when I first came to the village, I named this cat Daisy. She's tiny and she's sweet. She likes to sit next to me and purr. Once, I tried to coerce a lap snuggle from her. Bad idea. Her claws are like finely sharpened blades. I still have puncture marks from all her kneading.

***
Veronika did not come with us to the village this time, though she absolutely loves to run around the farm. The only thing she doesn't like about the farm is the grown, male Turkey. His gobbles really freak her out.

One funny thing about Veronika is that she chronically has CRAZY hair on the back of her head.

Guys, that's not just her morning hair, that's her all-the-time hair. (Though, to be fair, Oksana does a great job taming it and hiding it under hats.) The thing I like most about Veronika's all-the-time hair is that it reminds me a great deal of my dear Grandma Ann's I-just-woke-up hair.

(Speaking of my dear Grandma Ann, we missed wishing her a happy birthday when we were down at the sea. Happy Belated Birthday Grandma Ann! We love you and look forward to seeing you soon!)

While in the village this weekend, I discovered that Grandma Ann's I-just-woke-up hair and Veronika's all-the-time hair have a a farm animal counterpart.

Can you see it?

How awesome is that?

Happy Anniversary to Us!

It is our one year anniversary.

I awoke this morning to a gorgeous boquet of red and pink roses. Roma had gotten up early, slipped out of bed without me even hearing (no small feat, people) and bought me the freshest flowers at the bazaar. He presented them to me while I was still in bed. Literally.

Check out my monumental bedhead. (That's what happens when you sleep with wet hair.)

Veronika ran in to give me my morning snuggle, but she got distracted smelling the roses.

How about the Coorslight shirt? Classy, no?

Tonight we are taking our family and closest friends to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Wish you were all here to celebrate with us. Our love to all.

Scenic Views of the Azov Sea

Last week we traveled to the Azoz Sea. It took 13 hours to get there by car and 17 hours to return home by train. The town where we stayed was only about 30 miles from the Russian border. Suffice to say, few were speaking Ukrainian down there. Below is a view of the sea from the apartment that we rented:

On a day that was cool and overcast, we decided to drive to beaches in the surrounding area. We found ourselves some lovely views.

Above it looks like I caught Roma mid-stretch; but I swear, I gave him ample opportunity to pose and this is what he gave me.

We found a cove where the wind was whipping and the "waves" were "pounded the shore"...

Vicka asked me if I wanted to swim here. It was chilly, so I said no. The prospect of the rest of the day cold & wet in the backseat of the car didn't appeal much to me. Vicka however, thought I was afraid of the waves . Nothing I could say would convince her otherwise. Maybe it's smug of me to say, but I thought that was sweet.

Playing at the Sea

Since returning from our four day adventure at the Azov Sea, I've repeatedly been asked the following questions:

Why are you still so white? (SPF 50, yo)

Didn't you get any sun at all? (I tried not to over expose myself, yo)

Weren't you at the sea last week? (Yes, all the while hiding under my hat, yo)
You tried to avoid extended exposure to the sun? (Did I studder, yo?)

I haven't had to face ridicule all by my lonesome. Roma didn't manage bake himself brown either. Mostly because I was constantly running at him with my bottle of SPF 30. Here we are enjoying the water:

I know, I know, there's a glare coming off my chest...but it didn't get me down.

When we weren't playing in the water, we could be found eating dried fish at one of the many beer tents sent up along the beach.

In the evenings, we walked along the main city strip and enjoyed the local color. One of the more peculiar sights would have to have been the "Disney" themed carnival rides. Rides included a merry-go-round with this cracked-out Donald Duck:

And a haunted house. What's that? A haunted house isn't that crazy, you say? True Disneyland has its own haunted mansion; but this haunted house was called "Welcome to Hell." Here are Boss and his friend's daughter, Dasha, with some scary monster... outside hell?? It's just not right. What would Mickey say?

Nestled amongst the rides were other "attractions." My favorite was the big balloon pictured below. Roma and Boss climbed in and gave it a good spin on the water.

They tried to keep the balloon wheel a-spinin, mostly though, they just fell on their rumps. I gave the balloon a-go myself & I must say, it was hard. I now have a whole new respect for mice and hamsters.

We also took time to hit up the arcades. Boss thought he had me beat at basketball with a high score of 36; but then I smoked him. With a score of 72.

See that focus? That intensity? That's what arcade basketball champions are made of, foks. (Pssst... Roma took this picture especially for you Grandpa Jack. He thought you'd appreciate my form.)

As you can see I brought a similar intensity and focus to air-hockey. Poor Boss, he didn't stand a chance.

(Do zoom in and check out my face. That, my friends, is what I like to call the "Sheri Mahaffey I'm-gunna-kick-your-butt-at-this-game-even-if-it-kills-me Face." I think I wear it well).

Tidbits & A 30th ANNIVERSARY!

We had a wonderful time with (Hugo) Boss and (Hugo) Vicka at the sea. Pictures and a more detailed account of our brief trip will be posted soon. However, in the mean time, a couple of tidbits:

Today
(in Ukraine, where it is already July 26th)
is my parent's 30th Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Momu & Papu!!
You guys are the best!

In other news:

My sister sent Veronika the cutest dress...

She flaunts it all over town.

Thanks Auntie Sarah!

In other less compelling news:

Last week Olechka and I made sushi.

It was delicious. I ate my weight in it.

In closing:

Roma and I are headed into Vinnystia today. The primary purpose of our trek into the big city is to pay a visit to Aunt Tanya (i.e. Val's mom). While there, we hope to track down our own sushi making supplies so we can make it for the family.

Also, Roma's grandfather did not have the operation after all. In the end, the doctor determined that grandpa was "too old" to survive even a small surgery. Instead, the doctors are trying him on some medication that should make it easier to use the restroom, but will not address the cancer.

OK.

Well...

That's all for now, folks.
Our love to all.