Shelly's Belly 2

Here's Shelly, taken this morning at 25 weeks + a couple days. You can tell she's gotten a little bigger but we're still at a managable size. Shelly is starting to experience some back discomfort when sitting or lying down for a long period of time. We have an appointment in a couple weeks so we'll be getting a Madison update pretty soon.

--Ed

Barcelona

As usual, Shelly got the extra "training day" for the normal 3-day weekend making the President's Day holiday a 4-day. And as usual, off we went - this time to Barcelona in hopes of some warmer weather and this thing called sunshine that we've heard about.

We did get the good weather we were hoping for; it was a bit cool, but the skies were clear so we had ample sunshine. I think we both actually got some sun which was very nice. The city was great and there was a lot to see. The sites in Barcelona are pretty spread out so we made use of the open-top tourist buses to get from place to place, and also soak in the sun.

Our first day we arrived mid-morning and checked our bags at the hotel then explored the Gothic Quarter, La Rambla and the harbor. Our "room" was really an apartment so we had a full kitchen and did some shopping at one of the markets for some fruit and other snack items to keep in our room. Day two we got out to an early start on the tour bus and hit all the major sites including La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, both Gaudi works that are a major detour from typical European architecture. We also strolled around the Olympic facilities and stopped for some sangria on the beach at the end of the day. Day three we hit some of the museums and the aquarium.

We had some great food too. Like any tourist destination, the joints in the tourist areas are not the greatest. One of Shelly's coworkers went to Barcelona over the New Year and liked the city but complained about the food. We both love Spanish food so we were was disappointed (and a bit skeptical) to hear that the food was sub par. However, Lonely Planet did us right and pointed us off the beating path to some good places. One place we went for dinner was a GREAT Mexican joint. This place didn't open until 9 PM and by 9:20 was packed with a line outside. The restaurant was run by what we assume was a father and son. One of the coolest things was that when they made a margarita, they each took turns shaking the shaker until the drink was so frothy you couldn't hear the ice banging around inside. This was serious business; I would have taken a picture but I didn't want to break their concentration. I started out with a Negro Modelo but once we witnessed the making of a margarita I felt obligated to indulge. The food was prepared with the same care and ranks as some of the best Mexican food we've ever had. The city was great, but I think that meal was my highlight.

We thought the Spanish people were great, the laid back culture and vibrant atmosphere is just so much different than Germany. Basically Barcelona was a nice break from the day-to-day, Germany and our crappy weather.

--Ed

Shelly soaking up the sun on the Rambla del Mar.

La Rambla, the main pedestrian area in town.

Shelly shopping at Mercat de la Boqueria, a large market off La Rambla.

Ed at Park Guell

The view from Tibidabo, the highest point in the city.

Segrada Familia

Ed and Shelly at Segrada Familia

Finishing off the day with sangria at the beach

Ed polishing off dessert at El Rincon Maya

Shelly outside El Rincon Maya - the Mexcan restaurant we liked so much

Casa Batillo, an apartment renovated by Gaudi

Shark!!

Shelly's Belly

Everyone has seen Madison, but how is Shelly "shaping" up? I took this shot a couple of weeks ago on 4-Feb when Shelly was at 22 weeks. The period of 21 to 22 weeks was when Shelly really started to show. We are at 24.5 weeks right now and Shelly hasn't gotten much bigger since I took this picture. I'm sure we'll see another growth spurt over the next 2-3 weeks.

--Ed

Madison it is!!

Well, I guess she's not as shy as we thought. Shelly had her next to last monthly checkup and TBD very explicitly gave up the goods - so we have a Madison. In the successive shots to the left you can make out Madison putting her hand to her mouth. All measurements were normal again, except for her head size which is a bit on the smallish size - so she's already taking after Shelly.

We have had a few people ask about gifts for the baby. If you are interested in getting anything, we (Madison) are registered at Babies R Us and Baby Universe online. One note here however, we have listed my parents address as the shipping address on Babies R Us because they do not ship to APO addresses. If you buy online with B.R.U. the item will be shipped to my parents and they will forward it to us - this is NOT a problem. Baby Universe does ship to APO but their overall selection of items was not as good. We have already purchased most of our furniture and our car seat, and my sister has been nice enough to offer us Maryn's barely used crib bedding and some of her infant clothes.

If you visit Babies R Us in person or you find the same item elsewhere at a better price, you can ship to us directly at:

Shelly and Ed McAvoy
CMR 470 Box 6437
APO, AE. 09165

We have really appreciated the emails from everyone congratulating us on our impending addition. We both wish everyone was closer so that you could all be a greater part of this time in our lives.

--Ed

London

Over the MLK holiday weekend, Shelly and I went to London with 4 friends from the clinic. We all had a great time, although there is just too much to see to do everything we wanted. We will be going back, hopefully when the dollar is doing a little better.

After arriving on Friday night we got a little taste of home at The Outback Steakhouse. A couple people in our group had been to London before so we all split up on Saturday so that the newbies (us) could go see all the sights. Shelly and I were able to see Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, we walked along the Mall up to Buckingham Palace, took an awesome tour at the Tower of London and pretty much walked all over central London. Saturday night our group met up for a show - The Producers, a funny show in its own right, but was made even more funny due to the fact that we live in Germany. If you've seen the play, you will understand.

On Sunday our group went for a walk through Hyde Park and then made our way to central London and hit a few of the pubs. Sunday night we got another sample of home as we watched the NFL playoffs at a sports bar downtown. Watching the games was like food for the soul. We usually can only stay up for the early NFL games due to the time difference, but this weekend we had Monday off and were able to stay up and enjoy the games. It has been a long time since we have enjoyed the full sports bar atmosphere - huge screens (all dedicated to AMERICAN football), fans cheering and yelling, it was great. Our whole trip was great. We enjoy Germany, but being in London was more like being at home. The Brits are more like us, the sense of humor, courtesy, everything just made us feel more at home.

Next time we go to London we will try to make a trip out to Stonehendge and Windsor Castle, and hit of few of the pubs we missed this time.

--Ed

Steve, Mike and Ed waiting for our flight

A little bit of home at the Outback Steakhouse

Shelly and Ed at the Houses of Parliament