Duval Family Update June 2009

Hi Family and Friends!

Well, 4.5 weeks and counting!  I really cannot believe that we are this close to welcoming our new little girl into the world.  It is truly astonishing how much faster this pregnancy has gone compared to last time!  Wasn’t it just Christmas!?!?! 

As you can tell, my pure excitement is starting to overflow.  Give me two more weeks and I will be ready for anything.  We went to the doctor on Friday and all is wonderful!  She’s head down and ready to go but luckily that is the only progress we have made.  We did have an ultrasound to double check that she is actually a she…SHE IS!  Haha.  After Nana sent us the fruits of her baby girl shopping trips, I sure would have felt guilty if she had turned out to be a boy!  No worries!

I am still feeling well!  Paul is trying to teach me the definition of NOT overextending myself.  I have had A LOT of trouble with my hips over the last few months and definitely pay for my bad judgment calls by mid-afternoon.  He has been so awesome in helping me out as I battle these wonderful joints of mine!  You should have seen me at Mass last night…such a pretty dress with NIKES!  Lookin’ good!

I hope you have all seen my graduation pictures on phanfare.  While many of you knew about the surprise, my dad SHOCKED me and flew across the pond just to be here for the big event!  He so politely called me 15 MINUTES before arriving at our train station and asked me to pick him up.  I about died.  What an awesome dad!

The next event in our house is getting the boys off to the States next Sunday.  I know Paul is really looking forward to seeing his family and friends and I think his family is about to bust with excitement over seeing both of them!  I have to admit, while I am definitely going to miss my boys, I, too, AM SO EXCITED!  I will have 8 days of uninterrupted time to rest and nest.  My husband has given me stern instruction to rest as much as possible but I have to be honest, I cannot wait to get this house cleared out!  In the off chance that labor occurs, you can rest assured that I have a plan and my mom will be on the first plane out!  We’ve got it under control!

Paul and I were able to go up to Rome on Friday for a “date day” and we really enjoyed leaving the house without a stroller, 36 diapers, snacks, and all of the other loot you need for traveling with a toddler.  We ate a delicious lunch at Hard Rock and visited with my brother for a bit.  I’ll post pictures on phanfare soon. 

I think that’s about it.  Besides putting the crib and changing table together, washing pink baby clothes, and finding our swing, bouncy chair, etc., we are just a rockin’ and a rollin’ over here!  I hope you are doing well and enjoying your summer!  We look forward to hearing from you!

Love,

Jeanne

Duval Family Update May 2009

Hello wonderful family and friends,

I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and enjoying beautiful spring weather!  It is gorgeous over here and since they have FINALLY turned on our air conditioning, life is pretty grand! 

First and foremost, I am so excited to tell you about our new nephew, Gabriel Patrick Bentley.  Patrick and Kristi welcomed their tiny guy on Mother's Day and he is beautiful!  I spoke to them on skype the other day and they are doing very well!  It is crazy to think that in the 13 months that little Paul has been alive, he has gone from being the youngest grandchild on my side (Caroline and Alex being older), to now being the middle grandchild (Andrew and Gabriel are younger), and when Catherine arrives he will be in the older group!  My parents have gone from having three grandchildren to 6 in a mere 15 months!  CRAZY! 

Speaking of babies being born, baby Cate's debut is fast approaching.  I am now 32 weeks pregnant with only eight weeks to go (God willing).  At my last appointment on Thursday, my doctor broke the news that she is already a big baby and will probably weigh as much as Paul did (8lbs 3oz), if not more.   Besides that, everything is looking perfect and we are both doing well.  After having such a tough time with my last pregnancy, I am so thankful for the simplicity of this one! 

Besides the pregnancy, I am super excited to walk at graduation on June 5th.  I finished up my degree in Marketing back in November but every summer most bases host a graduation ceremony.  Although, I will be walking 9 months pregnant and probably wearing tennis shoes, I will be walking!  I've ordered my cap and gown and I'm ready to go!  I finally feel like I can completely move on to the next stage in life as a wife and mother.  (I just do things a little out of order...but dad, I promised you I'd finish AND WALK!)  We'll make sure to take tons of pictures and video the whole thing. 

After graduation, the boys have their much anticipated trip back to the states from June 21-29th.  Paul is the best man in his best friends wedding out in CA so he is dropping little man off in NH to see Nana and Pepe for the week while he goes for some much deserved 'guy time' and best man duties. Nana has not seen little man since he was 6 weeks old so it should be a fun trip! 

Little man is still growing like a weed.  His walking skills have improved GREATLY in the last couple of weeks and therefore becoming his primary mode of transportation.  His dancing skills are also improving by the day, now advancing beyond the simple bounce of the knees to the swaying of hips and shaking of arms...he's very funny!  I am confident that his little sister might think that he is a little crazy!

And last but certainly not least, my wonderful husband is doing excellent!  He has been a great help to me with little man and around the house as I get bigger (and more tired).  He has finally gotten word that he should be moving to a day schedule upon his return from NH...thankfully, just in time for baby Cate's arrival.  He has also been hard at work assembling/building his new racing mountain bike.  I believe it is finally complete and he took it for its first ride the other day stating that it is "awesome". 

Well, I think that about wraps it all up!  We did get word that we will be here until October 2010 so you are still more than welcome to come visit.  I'll keep you all updated if there are any changes with the arrival of our little girl but as of now, we are right on schedule.  Keep in touch!

Love,
Jeanne

P.S. I have attached a picture of me at 32 weeks...I'm getting big!

Duval family Update April 2009

Hi Family and Friends,

Well, this time 365 days ago, I was about to leave the house to head to the hospital.  I had just noticed the crack in my ceiling while breathing through a contraction, Paul was quickly writing down the timing, and mom was making some tuna salad sandwiches for Paul.  As of right now, 1:05PM, I still had 4 hours and 16 minutes to go before we would meet our precious boy.  I remember it like it was yesterday!  I can't believe that my sweet boy is already a year old!  I can officially say that this has been one of the most fun years of my life. 

Oddly enough, little man's first birthday also marks the '99 days until my due date' point.  No more triple digits!  This pregnancy has gone by SO much faster than my last (not to mention MUCH easier).  As I think back over the last year and then look ahead at whats to come I can't help but feel a mix of emotions.  I'm so excited to meet my little girl but am sad to give up the days of mommy/guido time.  I am frantically trying to soak up all of the one on one (or family of three) time I can get before my/our time is divided.  I'm sure most mother's experience the same thoughts and emotions, but for some reason I didn't think to expect them.  It's all apart of the process, I'm sure.

On a lighter note, we have spent the last 10 days touring Pauls dad and sister, Julie, around Italy.  In my opinion, the highlight of their trip was our four day trip to Rome this last weekend.  We did it all!  We did old Rome, the Vatican, Mass with the Pope, Assisi, and much more.  I think we have all reached a new level of exhaustion but it was definitely worth it.  Little man was such a trooper and besides getting dirtier than ever before, he hung in there like a champ.  I'll post the pictures up on phanfare as soon as I get a chance.  Mr. Duval and Julie are currently on their way home and I think they have enough stories to tell to last them for a while! 

Well, I think that about catches us up.  We don't have too much going on between now and Catherine's arrival.  I have 10 weeks until I am not allowed to leave base so I suppose I need to get in all of my errands, shopping, eating out, and traveling that I can before I'm on lock down.  Paul is still working away and just keeping up his normal schedule (hoping to get put on a normal day schedule before Catherine gets here...)  And Guido, well, he's just guido.  He's funnier than ever.  Starting to take a few steps on his own.  He's working on mastering what a cow and chicken say.  He's also really enjoying his outdoor play area that we made for him for his birthday.  All in all, everything is going great over here in Italy.  No complaints! 

I hope you give yourself the oppurtunity to live your Holy Week well and have a WONDERFUL Easter!  Look forward to hearing from you all!

Love,
Jeanne

Duval Family Update February 2009

Hi Family and Friends,

Well, our vacation is over and we're back into the swing of life...unfortunately.  I hope you all got a chance to look at our pictures from Germany as we had a wonderful time!  It was so nice to get away from Italy, explore a bit of Germany, and experience a bit of home (particularly the food; french fries, onion rings, pizza, hamburgers, you know the good stuff!).  Okay, well, I think I am speaking for myself on the food but it was so good! 

As of today, we are officially at the half way point to meeting baby Cate.  It sure is amazing how much faster this pregnancy has gone compared to Paul.  This time last pregnancy, we had just driven from California to New Hampshire where we were celebrating Thanksgiving followed by lovely kidney stones.  Let's hope and pray we don't see a repeat of that!  So far everything is going very well.  I'm feeling MUCH better these days and starting to try and prepare for the arrival of our little girl.  Catherine sure does move a lot but, at least for the time, does not kick half as hard as Paul did. 

Speaking of my little man...HE IS TURNING 1 YEAR OLD IN 6 WEEKS!!!  Can you believe that!?!?!?!  I feel like I just sent out my birth announcement e-mail a few weeks ago!  He also had a good time in Germany playing with grandmama and grandaddy.  He has FINALLY said 'Mama' so I suppose he does actually love me.  For a while there you would ask him to say it and he'd shake his head 'no'...haha.  This little boy has quite the sense of humor.  His latest cause for laughter was this afternoon when I went to get him from his crib, he was standing there WITH NO PANTS ON but the biggest smile on his face!  He cracks me up!  And whats even funnier is that he KNOWS that he's funny...what a nut! 

And last but certainly not least, my wonderful husband is still hard at work.  We have gotten no word on the officer program so we are assuming that it is a 'no go'.  That being the case, he will finish up school while working (hopefully by the beginning of next year) and then we will figure out where God wants us next.  We are tossing around quite a few options so we are certainly excited to see where we end up (and with how many kids...hahaha).  Especially in this time of uncertainty in our country, we are very thankful for all of the oppurtunities that Paul's military career is giving us.

Well, I think that about covers it all.  I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and kicking your Lent off on a strong note.  I know I will be spending a lot less time on facebook over the next 40 days!  Have a good Ash Wednesday and I look forward to hearing from you!

Love,
Jeanne   

Duval Family Update January 2009

Hi Family and Friends,

I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and living out all of your new years resolutions! 

Since the last time I wrote, a lot has happened in our little lives over here in Italy.  As most of you know, we are expecting our second baby.  I am now 15 weeks along due on July 15th.  So far, things have gone well.  While morning sickness has not passed me by, it has given me a bit of a break compared to last time.  Having a little one to run after definitely puts things into perspective and laying on the couch just doesn't cut it.  We are very excited to find out the sex of the baby on February 11th.  If it is a boy, he will be named Bentley Thomas Duval and if its a girl she will be named Catherine Riley Duval.  I have a feeling that it is a girl but we will see what God has decided!  Either way, we are very excited about this new addition, we are just hoping that they will give us a bigger house or the baby might be sleeping in the laundry room...haha.

We are also VERY excited to go to Germany to ski the Alps with my parents in February.  The military does a wonderful job providing for us and one way that they do this is by having american run resorts around the world reserved only for the military.  Ever since we arrived here in Italy, all we have heard about is Edelwiess, Edelwiess, Edelwiess.  So, we're going!!!  We have our cabin rented, our rental car reserved, plane tickets bought, and now we are just waiting on little man's snowsuit, my parents arrival, and the date to arrive and we are OFF!  This will be the first time Paul will be off work in over a year!  He has 9 days, HOW AWESOME!!!  The resort is located in Garmisch, Germany just 50 miles from Munich and 35 miles from Innsbruck, Austria.  I can promise you that we will have MANY pictures to post on Phanfare!

There is still no word on Paul's officer package.  At this point, we are just waiting for someone to be kicked out or to quit.  If he does not get selected, we will remain in Italy and he will decide whether he wants to re-apply this year or not.  While this process has been somewhat discouraging at times, one thing is for sure, we are learning to be flexible!  Paul is getting a chance, unlike many others his age, to decide what he really wants to do for the rest of his life, while still providing for his family.  He has so many options it is crazy!  Only time will tell...

And lastly, the littest man of our home is growing like a weed!  He is now 9 months old, did you hear me, 9 MONTHS OLD!?!?!?!  Seriously, if pregnancy could go by as fast as these 9 months have, life would be golden!  Anyhow, he has mastered the art of the army crawl and is rarely in the same place for too long.  With our tile floors, he has discovered that for efficiency's sake, it is much faster to just push himself backwards instead of pulling himself forwards.  So, if you come to our home, you will most likely see a baby on the floor going backwards!  He's a riot.  He is also quite the fan of singing at Church.  Besides his random day of craziness, he does pretty well sitting still during Mass.  BUT, when it is time to sing, you will most likely hear our little boys voice "singing" with the rest.  Quite the source of comic relief!

Well, I think that about sums it up for our family update.  We are all doing well.  We would love to hear from you so please write us back! 

Love,
Jeanne      

Halloween 2008

Happy Halloween!  We hope that you are laughing as much as we did when we took this picture!

Love,

Paul, Jeanne, and little Paul

Duval Family Update October 2008

Greetings from Italy!

I just wanted to send a brief update with all of the news that has come our way since my last update.  First of all, I hope you all can tell how much smarter I am as I have FINALLY GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!!!  After getting married, moving to California, a deployment, moving to Italy, and having a baby, I kept my word and I have finally completed my Bachelors degree in marketing.  I can't even tell you how relieved I was to wake up on Monday morning and to have NO SCHOOLWORK!  It's great!
I have also become a certified COMPASS mentor for the Navy.  COMPASS is a program for military spouses to learn about the Navy and for spouses to assist other spouses in their transitions and deployments.  It was a great experience and I am looking forward to mentoring other Navy Spouses!

Secondly, Paul has been VERY busy (imagine that).  He was selected as an alternate for his officer commissioning program.  While it is not EXACTLY what we were hoping for it is still quite an accomplishment and I am so proud of him!  Out of 900-1200 applicants, Paul was one of the few who was selected at all.  So, where does this leave us.  Well, God has quite the sense of humor!  I guess he's not finished teaching us patience!  Paul is currently in the process of filling out college applications, doing physical exams, and making degree plans.  Like a normal selectee, he must send all of the paperwork in and then we wait for someone to either drop out or be kicked out (which actually happens all of the time!).  So, we are busy doing all of his paperwork and applications and then we just wait some more.  We will know a definite answer by December.  To be quite honest, we are hoping that we stay in Italy for one more year as we REALLY want to do more traveling.  But, whatever God wants is what we want. 
In addition to that, Paul has become a certified Department of Defense financial counselor!  He has not only learned A TON but he has had a great time!  He will now be the financial counselor for his command (both enlisted and officer).  There are efforts to try and make financial counseling a mandatory appointment upon checking into the command which means that Paul will be one busy guy helping his command get their money/investments in order.  Again, so proud!

And lastly, little guido man's first tooth has popped through!  After he bit me yesterday I knew that something sharp was in there.  We looked and there it was!  His second tooth is sitting right under his gums.  I can't believe he's growing so fast!  I THOUGHT I JUST HAD HIM!!!  We continue to have fun as he learns and grows.

Well, I think thats about it from the home front.  No deployments, No babies, AND NO MOVES!  Wow, it's be a while since we've been this calm.  It's kind of nice! Remember to keep smiling and have a great day!

Love,
Jeanne