Babymooning in Victoria!

The Hubs and I had an absolutely fabulous time babymooning in Victoria last weekend. Believe it or not, this was our first trip away just the two of us since our honeymoon and we realized we need to do this more often...good thing we are having a baby! Just kidding. We really got a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company.

Our trip started bright and early Friday morning when we hopped aboard the Victoria Clipper along the Seattle waterfront. A mere 2.5 hours later, we were pulling into the beautiful inner harbor of Victoria. The sun was shining and since we weren't sure how long it would last, we went straight to a tour bus to take us to Butchart gardens. Like a true Mazzitelli, we went straight to the Blue Poppy Restaurant for a little lunch before we went to explore the amazing scenery.

After the gardens, we checked in to the beautiful Fairmont Empress for our weekend stay.
When we checked into our room, we had a very thoughtful gift waiting for us, sent by one of the Hubs' colleagues:

After taking a minute to ooh and ahh over what a nice gesture it was, the caddy, hormonal person came out of me. Ummm...who gives champagne to someone expecting a baby? More importantly, who gives ME, someone who *loves* all things wine and champagne a wonderful 2005 Brut when I'm pregnant?!?! So cruel. I suppose it was for the Hubs to enjoy, but I promptly forbade him to open it and threw it in my luggage to enjoy in approximately 8 weeks. The Hubs is a beer person anyway :).

Anyway, after settling in, we went directly to our side-by-side couples massage appointment which was heavenly. The best part was a fabulous pillow which enabled me to lay on my tummy! What a treat that was for my back, but more on that later. Sweet relief!

After the massages, we showered and dressed for dinner in the Empress Room. The Hubs had his favorite, duck breast and I had a delicious gnocchi.

Saturday morning we woke up to a wonderful breakfast in bed and then we just spent a leisurely afternoon strolling through town and visiting the shops. The highlight of the afternoon for me was seeing Darth Vadar play the Violin...seriously:



And the highlight for the Hubs was finding his favorite beer, Kronenbourg 1664, on tap at fantastic Irish Pub. This beer is extremely hard to find!


I was not as thrilled with my water:

Later that afternoon, we decided this trip was all about things we won't be able to do as often once the baby comes. Our feet were getting sore, so we went back to our room, got into our comfies and rented "It's Complicated" (Rating: B+) and snuggled up.
That night, we had another romantic and delicious dinner, this time at Il Terrazzo....yum!

Sunday morning, we had breakfast in the Empress Room and sadly checked out of the hotel. We then headed up to the Craigdarroch Castle...amazing! We had taken a cab to the castle, but seeing as it was another gorgeous day, we decided to walk the 3 miles back to town to do some more shopping. It was great to get some exercise and see the city from another view. After another great lunch (and a couple more pints of Kronies for the Hubs) we went back to meet the Clipper for the voyage home. We were so sad to see the weekend come to an end!
We'll be back, Victoria! Next time, with a little one in tow!

And one more thing...

Happy Valentines Day to my wonderful Hubs of three years!

It's hard to believe that nearly 9 years ago we were drinking Keystone Light and listening to Jimmy Eat World in the Mole Hole of the frat and now I'm typing our blog about preparing for the birth of our child! What a ride we've had! Can't wait for more...

Ti amo per sempre,
A

Love looks like this:

I'll set up the situation for you: crappy day at work + dentist appointment + tired beyond belief. I open up my email and get this from the Hubs:


I am getting really excited to meet this little person you know so well....if I could, I would carry it for a while like a kangaroo.

I love you sweetie

Hubs

And that, my friends, is why I married him...

So much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! This year in particular, I feel like I have so much to be thankful for: a wonderful family, fabulous friends, the best husband anyone could imagine, a great job, followed by an even greater job I'll be beginning in 2010, a healthy and happy life, and of course, my little peanut--who has already brought me so much joy and happiness.

Yesterday, the Hubs and I went for our first trimester ultrasound. Peanut was it's usual stubborn self, curled up in a corner, not wanting to be bothered. As a result, the ultrasound technician could not get any measurements. I kept flipping around from side-to-side, but Peanut was happy where s/he was. We took a little break and I made a much needed bathroom visit and told Peanut to be a good little Peanut so we could get a good look at it. Well, it worked! When I layed back down, Peanut was in the perfect position and even showed off it's dancing moves. It was such a thrill to both of us! What a character s/he is already! Here's a sneak peak:

If you look closely, you can see an arm by it's face and a leg sticking out

Excuse the poor picture quality, the scanner is on the fritz, so this is my attempt to photograph the photo! I'll update this post when the scanner is back in action. Happy Thanksgiving!