Luchetta Life

New Website...

2010-08-07T10:25:00.000-04:00

For some reason this website of ours wasn't allowing me to use all of the special features (aka video) so I recreated a new blog website. I will no longer be posting on this one so please see our new blog at:

www.luchettas.blogspot.com

Day of Shopping

2010-07-20T11:47:00.002-04:00

Ava got to experience her first of many days of shopping with Mommy and Meme! We went to the outlets that are about 15 minutes away from us to do some damage at the Children's stores. We spent about three hours there and only went to Osh Kosh B'Gosh, Children's Place, Converse, and Gymboree...Ava even got her first bathing suit for next summer! We had the perfect outfit to put Ava in for her day of shopping (Shopping with Mommy Makes Me Happy!)

First Family Outing...

2010-07-20T11:38:00.004-04:00

So we had out first family outing, dogs and all, and it was quite eventful but successful! We decided to load everyone up in the car and head to Joe's town that he grew up in, Cold Spring for a walk downtown. Needless to say we learned quickly that putting batteries in my pump was a great idea for the ride home and we will definitely be investing in a rack for the back of the car to put the strollers on in the near future!

The back of the car with the strollers and dogs. Poor Brody and Sadie didn't have much room!

A look inside the car with all three carseats filled!

Daily Routine!

2010-07-01T13:10:00.007-04:00

Many of you have asked us what our typical day is like so I thought I would humor you with our daily schedule now that all 3 babies are home!

Beginning in the morning:
7:30: Change, dress, and feed Ava first, put her in her lamb seat. Change, dress, and feed Gavin, put him in his lamb seat. Change, dress, and feed Brayden, put him in his lamb seat.

8:30: Pump and prepare the afternoons bottles
(Entire days worth of washed bottles that are ready to fill with milk)!

9:30: Eat breakfast and get dressed (ME)

*Lately we've had various doctors appointments for the babies in the late morning

11:30: Change and feed all 3 babies again

12:30: Pump

1:00: Eat Lunch and possibly take a nap, laundry (about 3 loads a day)

2:00: Play time for the babies

3:30: Change and feed all 3 babies again

4:30 Pump and prepare night bottles
(We put a small refrigerator with the bottle warmers in the room upstairs for easy access to all the prepared bottles)

5:30: Start cooking dinner

6:00: Joe gets home from work/ Eat Dinner

7:00: Feed dogs

7:30: Give each baby a bath, change diaper, put PJ's on, feed, put to bed.

8:30: Pump

9:00: Time for bed for us too!

11:30 My night shift begins. Change and feed all 3 babies and put back to bed.

12:30 Pump and go back to bed

3:30 Joe's shift begins. Change and feed all 3 babies and put back to bed.

5:30 Joe goes to work

7:30 OUR DAY BEGINS AGAIN!!

So that's our day in a nutshell minus the little things that have to be done throughout the day! We're going through about 42 ounces of milk a day, 30 diapers a day, 6 changes of clothes a day, and lots of baby wipes!! We can't ever say that our days are boring!!

Our Family Is Complete!

2010-07-01T13:02:00.002-04:00

We finally got to bring Brayden home on Monday night so our family is complete!! He did have to come home on an Apnea monitor and caffeine because he has had some episodes of Brady's and Apnea's (which is a drop in the heart rate and a pause in his breathing for more than 20 seconds). This is very common in premature babies because they haven't quite developed their breathing yet so hopefully the pulmonologist will begin to lessen his caffeine intake soon and we'll be able to take him off his monitor. So we've adopted a beautiful new "purse" (just another thing to tote around) wherever we take Brayden. He's doing great though and hasn't had any episodes in almost 2 weeks! Here are some pictures of bringing him home and his monitor.

Sibling Love...

2010-06-29T11:19:00.003-04:00

Ava and Gavin were fussing so we decided to try putting them together in their lamb seats...neadless to say, Ava is nicknamed our chunky monkey because she'll eat anything that comes close to her mouth!

Happy Father's Day to Joe!!

2010-06-28T19:23:00.002-04:00

Father's Day couldn't get any better...Gavin got to come home! It was a bittersweet day when we arrived to the hospital to pick Gavin AND Brayden up to come home since they were BOTH scheduled to be discharged on Father's Day. Their Father's Day outfits were already picked out and we were so excited that this would be the last we would have to make that drive to see our babies! But...when we got there with all smiles they told us only Gavin would be going home because Brayden had, had a Brady/Apnea episode that morning so he would have to stay 5 more days and be monitored! We were so disappointed but we had to focus on Gavin coming home. So we dressed them up anyways and took some Father's Day pictures.

Ava's Home!!!

2010-06-15T14:16:00.003-04:00

So Ava has been released from the hospital and got to come home on Saturday. It was a bittersweet moment to bring home one of our angels but then having to leave two of them at the NICU. She weights 5 lb 4 oz now and is feeding very well. The first night was a little rough since we were unsure how she was going to adjust to her new environment. Ava is a big talker so we've had to learn what sounds mean what. But she's settled right in and we're definitely learning new things every day to help prepare us for when the boys come home. Brayden is such a strong boy...he has worked so hard to catch up with Gavin and is coming closer every day! He's at 4 lb 7 oz now and is bottle feeding every other feeding. Gavin is 5 lb 1 oz and is working on finishing every bottle for all of his feedings. Once both boys eat well every feeding they'll be released from the hospital. Hopefully that will happen within the next 2 weeks. They turned 3 weeks old yesterday (35 weeks gestational) so they'll definitely be home before their original due date!
Here's a picture of Joe and I with Ava the day she got discharged from the hospital:

Videos

2010-06-15T09:20:00.003-04:00

Here are a few videos that may humor you during and after pregnancy!!

At West Chester Medical Center during our last ultrasound!
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/slideshow/AlbumID=4581207014/PictureID=209011468014/a=134906467_134906467/otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

The day before the babies arrived showing off my beautiful swollen legs!
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/slideshow/AlbumID=4581207014/PictureID=209018198014/a=134906467_134906467/otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Leaving the hospital with Ava!
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/slideshow/AlbumID=4581207014/PictureID=209035340014/a=134906467_134906467/otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Ava's Homecoming
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/slideshow/AlbumID=4581207014/PictureID=209036048014/a=134906467_134906467/otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Baby Pictures

2010-06-15T09:15:00.005-04:00

Here are updated pictures of the babies without all of the machines:

Ava Grace

Brayden Stevan

Gavin Joseph

To see more pictures you can go to:
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4581207014/a=134906467_134906467/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

THE BABIES ARE HERE!!

2010-06-14T21:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, so as most of you have heard, the babies have arrived. Sorry it has taken so long to post this exciting news; of course my computer decided to crash!! So here's how everything went down:
1. We moved from Virginia to New York the first weekend in May. That's when all of the swelling in my legs began (30 weeks) but my blood pressure was still great so no concern for preeclampsia.
2. We met with our new doctor, Dr. Manning the first week in NY and fell in love with him. He told us to plan on making it to 34 weeks but it could be sooner. "HA", I said, I'm making it 35! Little did I know what God had in store for us!
3. I cruised through the next 2 weeks, even had another beautiful baby shower thrown by my in laws! I was feeling a little obese, but still good.
4. Friday May 21st I began to feel really bad. I could no longer walk and I had gained 15 pounds in 2 weeks just in fluid in my legs!
5. Saturday May 22nd, I woke up with horrible contractions in my lower abdomen where I couldn't even stand up straight. IT WAS TIME!! We quickly got in the car and began our 45 minute drive to West Chester Medical Center. I made a quick phone call to Labor and Delivery to let them know I was on my way.
6. After driving through horrible contruction and hitting every pot hole in NY we finally arrived at the hospital. I waddled into Labor and Delivery holding my belly up:

7. They immediately admitted me due to high blood pressure in fear of preeclampsia. I was monitored through the weekend until Monday morning.
8. Monday May 24, 2010 Dr. Manning stood at the end of my bed and said "What are your plans today? How about have some babies!" So the prepping began, families were called, and the chaos began! Here's Joe scrubbed in and ready!!

9. At 1:03 Gavin Joseph was born 4 lb 2 oz, 1:04 Ava Grace was born 4 lb 6 oz, and at 1:05 Brayden Stevan was born at 3 lb 11 oz!!

Ava Grace

Gavin Joseph

Brayden Stevan

Me with Ava right after she was born!

10. Brayden was immediately put on CPAP for oxygen but Ava and Gavin just needed a little bit of oxygen to get them going. The doctors couldn't believe how healthy they all were and I began my recovery while the babies were monitored in the NICU

11. Tuesday May 25th is when everything changed for me. I was about to be taken off of the magnesium sulfate (for the preeclampsia) when Joe noticed that the right side of my face was drooping. My mouth wouldn't move, my eye wouldn't close, and I had a horrible ear ache. They discovered that I had developed Bells Palsy (which you can see in a lot of the pictures and videos) from all of the swelling.

12. Then the doctors came in with more bad news, they had finally figured out why my blood pressure was still all over the place: my preeclampsia had turned into HELLP Syndrome, which effects 1 in 500 pregnancies! It damages the liver, begins to shut down the kidneys, and causes seizures. My blood count and platelets were out of control and I had also become anemic so I immediately had to get a blood transfusion.

13. Before the transfusion I gave the poor nurse and Joe a scare when they walked me into the bathroom and I passed out on the bathroom floor from being anemic. The transfusion began.

14. Not really understanding the seriousness of everything going on because I was so out of it, everyone else found out the seriousness when the nurse pulled the curtain shut around my bed and said "She's really sick" and wouldn't allow ANYONE in the room to see me.

15. The next week in the hospital would consist of catscans, MRI's, IV's of iron and blood, lots of meds, medical teams at the foot of my bed trying to figure out what was going on with me (and my face), sonograms on my legs, and lots of poking at my veins with needles.

16. On Wednesday at 2 am Joe was finally able to wheel me down to see the babies for the FIRST TIME since they were born! That was by far the hardest thing to not be aloud to go down and see our new babies for the first 2 days of their lives.

17. Finally on Saturday May 29th they discharged me from the hospital.

18. I went into the doctor last week and had lost 45 pounds in 2 weeks!! Most of that was fluid so they took me off of the blood pressure medicine!

So I'm feeling much better and the babies are doing amazingly well!! They're all gaining weight, breathing room air, eating a lot through bottles, and already showing adorable personalities!!

Babies are Movin'!

2010-04-28T15:49:00.002-04:00

So I filmed this a while ago but couldn't figure out how to post videos on this new format of blogspot. I was watching TV the other morning and noticed a lot of lumps all over the baby mountain from the babies moving. If you watch carefully you can see them kicking and moving around!! I have a feeling they're going to be very active children once they arrive!!

Made it to 28 Weeks!!!

2010-04-24T23:09:00.000-04:00

We made it!!! 28 weeks has come and we are still truckin' along with these babies! I went in last week for my weekly appointment and had our last ultrasound while in Charlottesville. The pictures aren't very good anymore because it's getting so crowded in there, it's hard to really get good pictures of the babies. But they're all weighing about 2 1/2 pounds each which is the size of a normal single baby at this point. So we are super excited about that! Brayden has moved into my ribs on the left side which isn't the most comfortable thing when trying to lay on my side trying to sleep but with lots of pillows for the cushioning I've made it work! Ava and Gavin have switched places and Ava is now head down coming up the right side while Gavin is head down coming up the center. There's been lots of movement with them lately and it has become quite the entertainment on a Saturday night to sit and watch my stomach protrude out with arms, legs, and heads pushing on it! The doctors are really happy with how I look and how I'm carrying and they said they have no reason to believe that I can't make it to 34-36 weeks!!
We'll have one more appointment on Tuesday here before moving. The movers are scheduled to pack and move everything Wednesday and Thursday. I won't know what to do with myself since we don't have to pack anything up this time! Friday morning Joe leaves for Cincinnati where he'll be in his friend Andy's wedding and Mom, Dad, the dogs, and I will begin our journey up to New York.
I'm sure I'll have lots of updates soon once we get to NY about our new house so be on the lookout!

Our First Baby Shower!

2010-04-19T20:48:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had our first baby shower in Virginia Beach. The theme was Three Peas In a Pod and everything turned out beautifully! The food was amazing (courtesy of Mom, Dad, Mrs. Ulanich, and Rick), and we received so many beautiful gifts! Thank you everyone for coming and for all of the goodies that will be much appreciated soon.

The beautiful food display

Cupcakes by Patti Cakes Inc. AMAZING!

The diaper wreaths made by Sarah!

Welcome diaper wreath made by Megan!

Joe and I

One more time...

Some of the girls

Overwhelmed with all the amazing gifts!

Playing the "diaper game"

Some more of the guests!

26 Weeks and 4 Days!

2010-04-13T14:11:00.000-04:00

Just got back from our weekly doctors appointment! Just a quick update...last Friday we had to make a trip to Labor and Delivery because I was having mild contractions. They quickly put me on a monitor and indeed I was contracting every 2-4 minutes! This is normal for those with multiples because though I was only 26 weeks at the time my uterus is the size of someone that is 39 weeks so my body thinks it's time to have the baby and begin contracting! They gave me an IV for about 2 hours because they also said I was dehydrated as well as a steroid shot for the babies lungs just in case they end up being born early and an injection that ended up stopping the contracting. The docs said my cervix still looks wonderful though so no worries there! I have an oral version of the injection to stop contractions so now I just take that if I feel them at all.

I will admit that it's getting very tough now with this extra weight in the front. The back pain is really bad and I'm even beginning to waddle! The babies have shifted around now so I know that's what's causing a lot of the discomfort but I'm taking it easy and loading up on my fluids. I no longer have any ankle bones from the swelling but the nurse said that as long as I can feel the bones everything is still okay. The babies look beautiful on the ultrasound and they're growing at the same rate as a single baby for now.

So after today's appointment the doctors are still confident that I can make it to around 32-34 weeks. All of my blood tests came back negative and I had a glucose check today. I'm in the clear to drive to Virginia Beach this weekend for our first baby shower!! Woohoo!

Sleeping has become quite uncomfortable so Joe has figured out a way, for now, for me to sleep. Here's a picture of the "beached whale" and how I am sleeping at night!

Maternity Pictures

2010-04-10T15:32:00.001-04:00

Joe and I had maternity pictures done 3 weeks ago (I was 23 weeks along) by Dana Duncan in Virginia Beach. She did an amazing job and really captured a lot of special moments with Joe and I. Here is the link to her blog that has some of the favorite pictures!

www.danaduncanphotography.com/blog/

Baby Update!

2010-03-30T12:28:00.005-04:00

Sorry everyone...it's been a while since I've updated the blog! It's becoming a bit chaotic around here, which I'm sure will increase more and more! So we hit the 6 month mark on Friday!! Woohoo!! The doctors are still very happy with my progress and have no doubt that I will carry to 32 or 34 weeks. Based on that we should expect our angels to be here anytime between May 21st and June 4th! Our apartment is quickly turning into a storage facility for all the new baby gear and presents which especially brings on the excitement for their arrival. We recently took a trip down to Virginia Beach that was packed with plans and events. On friday we had 3D/4D ultrasounds done that were amazing! There's still disagreement about which babies look like Mommy and Daddy. On Saturday Joe ran in the Shamrock 8K at the beach while preggers and the dogs cheered for him at the finish line. I was tempted to walk in the race but I didn't want to take the chance of being picked up by the "slow bus" while attempting to carry an additional 35 pounds for 5 miles! To wrap up the weekend, Sunday we had professional maternity pictures done by Dana Duncan Photography that were a lot of fun (surprisingly since Joe hates taking pictures)! Once she sends me those pictures I'll be sure to send the link! I've posted some pictures below of all the festivities!

I finally finished the letters that will go above their cribs in the nursery!

I have to give credit to Joe on Ava's name...he drew the birds!!!

Can you tell that the babies are already spoiled? Mom has gone a little crazy buying clothes! Can't say they won't be best dressed right?! Our dining room that has been taken over by cribs, dressers, and other gifts!

Joe after the race with Aunt Stacey and Mom.

Wesleyan reunion at the race!

Updated Ultrasounds

2010-02-10T15:56:00.012-05:00

I never thought I would watch my belly grow before my eyes and that there would be not 1 or 2 babies in there but 3!! We had our 18 week appointment yesterday and got some great ultrasound pictures including ones where they're sucking their thumbs! It's absolutely amazing the feelings of joy Joe and I get to experience every time we go to the doctor's appointments and see our babies!! We also received our first "baby gift". Chelsea and Eric were kind enough to get us started with our travel system by buying our single stroller (don't worry there's a double one on the list too). It was so much fun putting it together and practicing pushing it around!

"The bump at 17 weeks!"

Sadie trying out the new stroller!

Doesn't he make a great looking dad?

Joe putting together the new stroller.

Gavin either smiling at us or already talking!

Ava sucking her thumb!

Brayden sucking his thumb too!

It's 2 Boys and A Girl!!!

2010-01-30T10:48:00.008-05:00

Well the much anticipated answer is here, the genders of our three little angels!! We went on Tuesday for an ultrasound and found out that we're having 2 boys and 1 girl! We're ecstatic, deep down we were hoping for that outcome! Right now we're getting ultrasounds every 2 weeks and the doctor says as long as everything looks as good as it has been that will continue. The only daunting task with all of this is that I have been told that I have to consume around 4,000 calories a day (to include lots of fat) for the babies so that they can be as fat as possible when they're born prematurely. Joe has a great program that calculates my calorie intake and I got up to 3,500 calories yesterday, which is a milestone for me! I never thought I would be pressured into eating cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes on a daily basis. I've included the updated pictures of the ultrasounds to include the ones in which the nurse stated "looks like baby A is standing at attention"!

Baby A...IT'S A BOY!!

Baby B...IT'S A GIRL!!

Baby C...IT'S A BOY!!

After grocery shopping for 4,000 calories a day!

"The bump" at 15 1/2 weeks!!

The Addition of 3 More Luchettas!

2010-01-13T19:06:00.010-05:00

I know it's been a long time since I have posted an update on here but as many of you know it has been a bit crazy for us lately! So since Halloween we have learned that we will be adding three new Luchetta's to our family this summer! That's right we're having TRIPLETS as I'm sure word has already gotten around! Many of you say, "WOW, do twins or triplets run in your family?" The answer is "NO!" As Joe and I have learned in the past two years, many couples face the challenge of fertility problems and unfortunately we were one of those couples. So since March of 2009 Joe and I have been to two fertility specialists beginning in North Carolina and after numerous testing, have learned that I suffer from unexplained infertility. We had to endure many different procedures without success until finally we found something that worked REALLY WELL APPARENTLY!! Luckily, we did NOT have to go through IVF and had a positive pregnancy test after going through hormone injections followed with IUI. I'm sure you're wondering why it's necessary to know all of this detailed information but I feel that everyone that is a part of our life should know how special these babies are and that all of you have the opportunity to have a special connection to them knowing what it took for them to be a part of this world. We have truly been blessed with not one but three little angels and cannot wait for you to be involved in their lives.

So we're finally through our first trimester and will be 14 weeks this Friday! I can't believe we're already into the second trimester! It is common to deliver triplets earlier than a single child so the doctors say I could deliver anytime between 32 weeks and 35 weeks (hopefully longer) which will be from the end of May until the middle of June. None of the babies are identical, which is good because they're not fighting each other to share food, and they're all growing at the same rate right now! The doctor says that as healthy as I am and as perfect as everything is looking there is no reason that I can't carry until at least 34 weeks as long as that belly can stretch a lot! Joe and I have decided that the best thing would be for us to move up to West Point at the beginning of May rather than waiting until the end so the Army is working with us to get a house early on post to give us time to get settled in before the babies come home.

With all of that said I have posted some pictures of the babies! Keep checking back as I will be posting updated ultrasound pictures hopefully with news about the genders soon!

The three little peas at 9 weeks!

Baby A

Baby B

Baby C

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T13:42:00.006-05:00

I know many of you were interested to see what we were going to dress Brody and Sadie up as this year for Halloween. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find costumes to fit Brody's long body so Joe and I decided to dress up instead!! We traveled to Virginia Beach for the weekend and are fortunate enough to have friends, Megan and Rick, that absolutely love Halloween and throw a big bash every year. So on Saturday we got dressed up in our fabulous Tacky Tourist outfits and set out to entertain everyone for the night. The best part about it was that I could eat as much as I wanted that night and you could never tell!! Hope this adds humor to your day!

(Pictures below include Peggy Bundy, The Cleavers from Leave it to Beaver, and a Gorilla with his Banana)

Army 10 Miler

2009-10-06T09:37:00.003-04:00

We did it...we finished the Army 10 Miler race in Washington, D.C., all in less than 2 hours! Way to go Team Household 6. For those of you that don't know what the term "Household 6" stands for; in the Army it is commonly used by the spouse who is in the Army (our husbands) referring to their "commander" of the house (us, the wives) because we normally have to take care of everything. An example of using the term would be, "Household 6 told me I have to be home by dinner time today". I hope this better explains it. After a great visit from Sarah and Addie in Charlottesville, we were then blessed with Megan and Rick's presence in Charlottesville as well for 2 nights. We headed to D.C. on Saturday and walked around Georgetown all day. Sunday was the race, which I will admit I was not looking forward to. I blame the peer pressure from the girls for me even participating in this event. And even though I feel like a 90-year-old woman and that my knees are no longer attached to my legs, I have to admit it felt good to accomplish the task of running 10 miles. We all ran the race under 2 hours and our team as a whole came in 9th out of 18 teams. Not too shabby!! I've included some pictures of the race below.

Mine and Joe's Birthday Weekend

2009-09-28T20:08:00.004-04:00

Yes, a Virgo actually married another Virgo...Joe's birthday is September 20th and mine is September 19th. It was a very relaxing weekend. We tried a great restaurant called Mas downtown that is a Tapas bar. The food was amazing...reminded me of my vacations to Spain! On Saturday we hiked Humpback Rock with the dogs which was quite a workout, or was it that we were turning a year older?! When we finally got to the top the view was beautiful. We then watched Texas crush Texas Tech with wings and fries. Joe went to a cupcake bakery and bought my favorite, red velvet with cream cheese frosting! On Sunday we went and saw Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston, which was really good! I then made my first cake FROM SCRATCH for Joe's birthday! It didn't turn out very pretty but it was soooo good! It was a great weekend and I can't wait to see what's in store for us for the next year!

Sadie eyeing the cake

What Happens When a 29-Year-Old Plays Rugby!

2009-08-22T13:28:00.002-04:00

Joe has decided to play Rugby on the men's team while we're at UVA. Little did he remember how rough the sport is, especially for a 29-year-old! While practicing last Tuesday he tackled a new guy on the team who had never played before. Out of defense of Joe's crushing him, the guy put his head down resulting in a blow to Joe's nose! After Joe walked in the front door with a blood covered tshirt we went to the doctor's office to get xrays. Good news...it's not broken! Just tissue damage and black eye! The question is: did Joe learn? Nope, he'll be back at practice next Tuesday!

Our 4 week vacation in Virginia Beach

2009-08-22T12:24:00.007-04:00

The advantage of Joe back in school is that we get great vacation time! In between summer and fall classes we had 5 weeks of vacation, which we spent 4 of those in Virginia Beach. Most of our days were spent on the beach in the sweltering sun, according to Joe, or according to me, the relaxing sun! We had a quick, unexpected visit from Sarah and Addie and got to catch up with friends at dinner. We found a great "doggy daycare" that Brody and Sadie were having a blast at every day rather than staying in the house...until they caught kennel cough from there! So they weren't able to go back the remainder of the trip due to being contagious for 12 weeks!To wrap up the trip, Jeff and Kristen came down from NY to visit and got engaged on the beach while there! So congratulations to Jeff and Kristen! Wedding bells seem to be contagious as Megan and Rick also got engaged during our 1 week that we were in NY during the vacation time! Megan and Rick asked Joe and I if we would be a part of the wedding next December...so we'll get to relive the moment of walking down the aisle together!! Haha!! Below are some pictures of our trip! ENJOY!

Joe and Addie/Sarah and I

Day at the beach with Sarah and Addie

Dinner with friends

Engaged August 14th
Celebrating Megan and Rick's engagement!
The biggest pizza I've ever seen!
At a Yankees game
Tommy's graduation party

Brody and Sadie's Birthday!

2009-07-15T20:21:00.004-04:00

I know you're thinking we're a bit crazy because we actually celebrated Brody and Sadie's 1st Birthday today. Their birthday, day didn't start off too well though after Joe and I came home to find my brand new sandal chewed into little bits of leather all over the carpet. They got time out for that! The rest of the day was good for them though and we had a cake made at Sammy's Snacks (a dog store) to celebrate. This is what happens when you don't have children...Here are a few pictures and a video of us singing (don't mind the terrible voices). HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRODY AND SADIE!!

Charlottesville, VA

2009-06-24T16:08:00.007-04:00

YAY!! We have officially settled into our new home for the next year, Charlottesville,VA! We moved in the first week of June and Joe started classes on the 8th. He finishes that class on Friday and will begin another class for 3 more weeks on Monday. After that we'll have summer vacation for about 6 weeks. I had my work cut out for me when I arrived on the 10th unpacking boxes, cleaning, organizing, and putting up pictures which we finished doing yesterday. I have to admit it was pretty difficult going from a 2-story home to an apartment as far as storage so I was forced to use my imagination! The apartment is a perfect size for us though and I actually enjoy cleaning now because it doesn't take the entire weekend. Joe loves the idea of no yard work either! The dogs love it as well and have adjusted well to the area. There is a large fenced in dog park in the neighborhood that I take the dogs to every morning when Joe leaves for class that they exhaust themselves in, chasing eachother and meeting other furry friends. Brody is quickly realizing that he cannot put his face in other dog's faces though as we have encountered a few not so friendly dogs! Joe's legs have finally adjusted to the 6 mile bike ride including many up hill challenges to and from class every day! We'll see if that will continue once it begins to snow here! There are 4 other Army officers in the same program as Joe and will continue to be in all of his classes for the next year. We met all of them last night for dinner along with their spouses and it was very comforting to know that we will be with all of them for the next 4 years! I have included lots of pictures of the apartment and a video of the dogs in the park. We would love to have our friends and family take advantage of us being in this beautiful place so please plan to visit us at some point!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-09T21:54:00.005-04:00

Sorry this one is a little late...For Memorial Day weekend Joe was asked to be the guest speaker in his hometown's parade in Cold Spring, NY. It was a once in a lifetime moment and I am so proud of him and the amazing speech that he wrote. It was quite a long trip getting there and then getting home but well worth it. We drove to Va. Beach on Friday to drop the dogs off with my parents and stayed the night (after 6 hours in the car when it normally takes 4). Our flight left Saturday morning at 6 a.m. and arrived in NY at 8:30 a.m. When coming back on Tuesday we took the hour train ride from Joe's town into the city where we then took the shuttle to JFK Airport. Once we flew back into VA we picked the dogs up and drove back to NC so that I could be back to work on Wed. morning. Atleast we can say that we used every form of transportation on Tue. except boat! We then packed everything up in the house with the help of my parents, Ryan, and Tommy and moved the first weekend of June to Charlottesville. I finish school tomorrow (Wed.) so I'll be joining Joe and the puppies up there. It's been an adventure with selling the house but it will out of our hands officially on June 12th so we can begin our new journey with a clean slate. I've included some pictures of Memorial Day below.

Virginia Beach Visit

2009-05-21T21:01:00.006-04:00

So we visited Virginia Beach for a weekend a couple of weeks ago and while we were there we met with Kristen and Jeff for the Norfolk wine fest. It was quite hot (90 degrees) but there was a nice breeze coming off the water. I found some great riesling but didn't feel too well later on after drinking in that heat! We also went over to the beach and let the dogs loose! It was hilarious to see Sadie jumping in the water (she doesn't run, she hops) and Brody continuously tried to bite the ocean water. Kristen and Jeff also brough their pug over to play with them.

Some pics:

Change of Command

2009-05-04T20:14:00.008-04:00

Well we're one step closer to leaving Fayetteville and starting the new chapter in our life! Thursday was Joe's Change of Command Ceremony in which he gave up his command of Alpha Company after 18 months. It's been a rocky road but full of lessons learned for future use! Joe's mom and sisters Kara and Jen drove down from New York and my parents drove down from Virginia Beach to attend the ceremony as well as numerous friends came to celebrate. Thanks to everyone that was there (Chelsea, Kevin, etc.) We had a nice party on Friday night at our house that we also consider our farewell party too. It was a blast and so nice to see everyone before moving soon. Here are some pictures of the ceremony below:

Giving up command!

Joe giving his amazing speech!

The family!

Joe and I after the ceremony

Chelsea and I

Spring Break

2009-04-18T16:19:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone! I know it's been a while since I posted a blog...but unfortunately life hasn't changed too much these days. We are still trying to sell our house :( We have until May 30th and then we'll be paying rent and mortgage so if you know of anyone moving to the Fayetteville area please refer them to us! So please keep the prayers coming with that! Joe has been on leave the last few weeks and I am finishing up my spring break from school. I'm definitely counting down the days until June 10th in which I'll be done with school and on my way up to UVA to join Joe on our next adventure. We just got back from a mini vacation to Charleston, one of our favorite vacation spots, and absolutely loved it of course. Mom "babysat" the dogs for us and though we had a blast and enjoyed our time together we definitely missed Brody and Sadie! Also this week Sadie and Brody had their first experience with the sprinklers which was hilarious! I've attached some photos as well as a video below.

Joe and I on the pier in Charleston:

Some views of the pier and battery in Charleston:

Sadie and Brody playing in the sprinklers with our neighbor Kayla!

Sara's Visit to Fayetteville

2009-02-18T19:47:00.010-05:00

We were blessed with Sarah and Addie's presence during their recent visit to Fayetteville last week. They arrived on Thursday and stayed until Monday. It was quite interesting to see the dog's response to having a little person in the house for 5 days...as well as seeing Joe with a little person for that time period! I have to admit he showed us how great of a dad he'll be one day...not that I had any doubts. Addie absolutely loved Brody and Sadie and they loved her. She didn't even have to take a bath the whole time because they were always there to lick her clean of any crumbs left behind. Sarah tried to stick to her 1/2 marathon training diet; however, I convinced her to enjoy her vacation and pig out on Joe's lasagna, Cheesecake Factorie's fried macaroni and cheese, and sour jelly beans. What can I say...I love food! I've posted some pictures below highlighting their visit.

An Eventful Week

2009-01-23T22:01:00.004-05:00

So this week has been quite eventful for us! We started the week off with a few snow flurries that turned into 6 inches of snow (a lot for down here in the south). Since the south doesn't really know how to respond to this type of weather school was cancelled for us Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! We did however get to go back to school with much excitement on Friday just in time to teach the students an abundant amount of information before the weekend! While the puppies were playing in the snow Sadie must have gotten into something in the woods behind our house and had an allergic reaction on Wednesday. Her eyes swelled shut and she broke out in hives. I took her to the vet and they gave her a shot of benadryl. We had hoped this would do the trick but she ended up getting worse with more hives, itching, and vomiting. Joe rushed her back on Thursday and they had to hook an I.V. up to her to rehydrate her and gave her a steroid shot. Brody didn't know what to do with himself while she was gone and moped around the house all day. When I finally picked her up that night she was back to her old self running around and giving endless amounts of kisses. I told the vet they probably think we're crazy paranoid puppy parents as much as we take the dogs in and call them with questions. I can't imagine what it will be like with children some day! To wrap up the work week, we finally met with our real estate agent and put the house up for sale. I told Joe it was kind of sad...selling our first home. Of course he responded with "No it's not, I can't wait to get out of here"! So the Remax sign is in the yard and the key box is on the front door. I've attached some pictures of the snow, Sadie's poor eyes, and the for sale sign.

Our street covered with snow!!

Part of our back yard...so pretty!
Tired after playing in the snow...

Our Future Home: Charlottesville, VA

2009-01-17T18:29:00.010-05:00

We just finished visiting UVA (Charlottesville, VA), our future home come May. Though it didn't get past 30 degrees during the day time and single digits at night, it was absolutely beautiful and definitely a change to where we're living now. We're surrounded by every store imaginable minus Target (30 minutes away) other than a Food Lion, Chinese restaurant, and Dominoes Pizza! We also had the chance to visit with Joe's advisor and get his class schedule for the next 3 semesters. On Saturday we went and saw the apartments that we found and are so excited! They just built a 1600 sq. ft. fenced in dog part, a heated pool, and a clubhouse with a workout room. It couldn't get any better. So we'll probably move in the end of May beginning of June as Joe starts classes June 8th and I finish school June 10th. So we're very excited as we look forward to the next phase in our lives: CIVILIANS FOR A YEAR! I've included some pictures of the apartments and UVA:

The front of the apartments.

The heated pool where I'll be all summer!

The new dog park for Brody and Sadie!

The Rotunda at UVA and the gym.

2008 Comes To An End

2009-01-02T07:37:00.002-05:00

To end 2008 Joe and I headed to New York for 5 days and spent time with his family. When we first arrived after an 8 hour drive there was still snow on the ground from a storm. This was Brody and Sadie's first experience with snow and it was pretty humorous! They had a blast and needless to say they helped make the snow disappear faster by EATING IT!! The family's dog, Teddy, was traumatized by our beasts and lost a lot of body fluid by drooling continuously. Their new kittens were quarentined to the downstairs portion of the house but that didn't stop them from trying to get to the puppies, which they eventually did get to Sadie's face and left a little war wound. We ventured into the city on the 30th to celebrate Kristen's birthday and watched a show called Spring Awakening. We ate at this amazing restaurant called Rue 57 and met an old highschool friend, Lisa, while there. The city was beautiful and our visit to Ground Zero was unimaginable. The last day we were there it snowed one last time about 4 inches. The puppies loved it! I've included some pictures that show them playing in it as well as a picture of us from the city.

Welcome Family and Friends

2008-12-25T21:26:00.001-05:00

Welcome all of our friends and family. We got this great idea to start a blog from our new neighbors across the street so that we can stay in touch with all of you since we tend to move around a lot! We hope that we can keep everyone posted on what is going on in our lives as well as hear from ya'll so that we can keep in touch no matter how near or far. So feel free to leave comments whenever you like!
Our Christmas day is winding down and are so blessed to have been able to spend it together. This was our first Christmas as the Luchettas as well as with our new additions, Brody and Sadie. When we woke up this morning, due to Brody's whining, we gave the puppies their first stockings filled with lots of goodies. While they were occupied with their new bones Joe was given his first gift...a new bike in Yankees colors! This will be a great form of transportation to and from classes once we start our adventure at UVA. Joe knows me too well and did an amazing job picking out some beautiful clothes (including a new coat) as well as a massage and facial at The Renaissance. I have to admit I'm a pretty lucky wife to have a husband that would take the chance of buying clothes!
Our relaxing day continued as we attempted to see the sold out movie of "Marley and Me" with some friends. We had a delicious late lunch of Joe's famous lasagna with sweet sauce and then joined our neighbors across the street for dessert. We feel very blessed to have been able to enjoy the holiday season together this year and pray for many more to come. We miss our friends and family but will see all of you soon!