Friday, October 11, 2013

Gender Reveal: Presents for the parents-to-be!

My mom and the McMom, a.k.a. The Gram Squad, were up to something before they made the trip to our house for the party.

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The kids were very interested to find out what was inside all the pretty packages.

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The first box had a blanket/play mat that my mom made.

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Let me reiterate: my mom MADE the blanket.

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She also made a sack that holds some fabric “balls” that she made as well. 

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Next up, a gift from the McMom.

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She knitted the baby a hat and a…cocoon? sack? rasta-man hat?

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Shannon had a bag embroidered with “McBaby,” and she filled it with essentials like diapers, baby wash, spoons, and wipes.  I’m thinking the bag might be perfect for holding what we need downstairs for diaper changes.

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And I can’t leave Bri out even though I don’t have picture proof of her gift.  When she first arrived, she came in carrying a big box of diapers.  People seem to think we’re going to go through a few of those.

The McMom also left some goodies made by Kohl’s and Hobby Lobby (okay, they were probably made by some factory in China) for us to find later.  There were several adorable outfits as well as a few decorative items for the McBaby’s room.

Thank you, everyone, for your generosity.  The McBaby is already spoiled and he’s not even here yet.  I really appreciate everyone’s help getting ready for the party and especially for their assistance cleaning up that night and the next morning.

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TGIF!  Guess what the McHusband and I are doing this afternoon?  We’re visiting four daycares and hopefully one of them works for us.  Wish us luck!

PS  Happy Birthday a day early to Owen, who turns 5 tomorrow.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Gender Reveal: Party Peeps

Before the party started, we took a few minutes to snap a few photos.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get my mom or the McInlaws in any.

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Us and kids

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The McHusband caught the kids being cute on the patio.

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Later on, after the the big reveal, Henry channeled his inner car guy and checked out the Jeep’s exhaust.

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Lyla started kindergarten this year, and she was awarded Star of the Week last week.  That meant she got to take Marco the Monkey home with her, and she’s supposed to take pictures to document her time with him.  Lucky for Marco Lyla had an exciting weekend planned for him.

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Mom and Maxie.

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Kids on the couch.

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One more party post, which should go up tomorrow.  I’m excited to relive the photos because there were presents!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Gender Reveal: It’s a…

I decided to fill a pinata with a color indicating boy or girl as the way to let people in on our little secret.  I went with bead necklaces, candy, and balloons.  I asked people to stand on one side of the garage or the other depending on whether they thought it was a boy or a girl.

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Here’s Team Girl:

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And Team Boy:

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Toren wasn’t shy about stepping up to do the honors when it came to whacking the pinata with a baseball bat.

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I think I see a certain color peeking out, and so does the McMom.  Looks like she’s on the right side of the garage.

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It’s a BOY!

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I used the balloons in the pinata mainly because they were a cheap way to have a lot of blue things in there.  Turns out, they were a hit.  Right, Rebecca and Maxie?

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So there you go, our McBaby is going to be a boy.  I can’t wait to meet him.

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Monday, October 7, 2013

Gender Reveal Party: The Food

We were very excited to host a gender reveal party this past Saturday.  Since the McBaby should make its debut just a few weeks before our normal St. Patrick’s Day party, I decided I wanted one of these trendy soirees in the event I’m too sleep-deprived and hopped up on post-pregnancy hormones to host the usual party.

My mom and sisters and their kids AND the McHusband’s parents all made it to the party.  We also invited our friends and neighbors.  Because kids were invited, the party started a little earlier than usual (6:00 vs. 7:30), and I knew I needed to have something real for people to eat.  Sounded like a perfect excuse for me to eat one of my favorite foods: pizza!  I got a variety of pizzas, including a Monster cheese cut into squares, which I figured would work well for the kids.  None of us had ever seen a pizza so big.  For point of reference, that’s a pizza box for a large pizza next to the Monster.

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I made a few dips for people to munch on, too.  One was a new one that I had to make in a nod to traditional pregnancy cravings: Dill Pickle Dip.  It was a hit, especially later when we were cleaning up.  I didn’t have to worry about finding space for its leftovers in the fridge.

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You know I can’t have a party without an assortment of sweets.

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From left to right: color-coordinated candy, a vanilla cake, chocolate cupcakes with purple and blue vanilla buttercream, and the NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie

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I also put some Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats on the kids’ table in the kitchen.  I did see a few kids grabbing them off the plate, but I saw even more BIG kids munching on them.

The last sweet thing I don’t have a picture of is the banana pudding. I was going to make some bars, but I had a number of overly ripe bananas so Paula Deen’s banana pudding seemed the better choice.  I’ve made that pudding twice now and let me tell you, it is one fabulous treat.

Here’s a warning/teaser for you: I’ll be back a few more times this week with more party details and people pics.  Most importantly, tomorrow will be the “It’s a…” post so make sure you come back to find out.

Friday, October 4, 2013

20 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. (The sonographer told us the McBaby weighed 13 oz and it measured in at 20w4d.) He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — about the size of a banana.

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

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(This is one of the 4-D pictures we got of the McBaby on Tuesday.)

How mom is changing:

The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. (I’m up 7 from my first doctor’s visit at 8 weeks to the most recent one.) Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on.

How I’m feeling: Pretty much the same – my stamina’s affected during workouts and I get winded walking up the three flights of stairs between the parking garage and my office at work, but otherwise I’m feeling pretty normal.

Workouts: Still going strong! I’m still attending my once-a-week boot camp class and this past Saturday I did my back-to-back Body Pump and Power Hour Extreme classes. Throw in a spin class, a few cardio machines, and a muscle conditioning class, and I’m getting well-rounded workouts. I modify as needed, but I’m feeling good.

Food cravings/aversions: Still just want carbs – candy, crackers, chips, chocolate. But I’ve always been a carb queen so I’m not too surprised.

Sleep: I fall asleep faster now than before I spent my days growing a baby, but I tend to wake up a lot during the night, which I did before. I don’t have to go to the bathroom every night, which is good, but since I don’t need to do that, it sure would be nice to get an uninterrupted 7 hours each weeknight. Shoot, I’d even settle for 6 good solid hours!

Movement: Maybe? I think just this week I’ve been feeling something. If I had to describe it, I’d say it felt like a bubble releasing in my tummy.

Belly button in or out: In!

Rings on or off: On and in no danger of not fitting so far.

Maternity clothes: Some. Luckily it’s still warm enough in these parts that I can wear my normal dresses to work and those fit fine. Regular pants are iffy depending on their size so I have worn some maternity pants. They’re still a little big but that’s way more comfortable than having my waistbands digging into my growing belly.

Recent fun or interesting things: The big ultrasound! Yep, we found out on Tuesday what the baby is, and we can’t wait to share it at the party this weekend.

New baby items: Someone gave us some diapers, which we really appreciated. Otherwise, nothing yet, but now that we know if we should be leaning toward pink or blue, I’m ready to hit the baby department at Target.

Miss anything?: Drinking and looking fit. I’m very much in that chubby phase right now and there’s nothing I can do about it. Good posture can only do so much for the belly. The McHusband and I went to a concert a couple Fridays ago and people were buying bottles of wine and I really, REALLY wanted some. I know some alcohol in moderation is probably fine, but I’m choosing not to have anything more than a sip to taste someone else’s drink until the baby’s more developed.

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(Picture taken yesterday.)

Happy Friday!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

A lesson

Looks like I might have a pricey lesson to learn. Winking smile

True.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

What-am-I-gonna-watch Wednesday

I’m looking forward to a new half-hour show that looks like it might be silly but still entertaining, much like 2 Broke Girls.  This new show is called Super Fun Night and it stars the awesomely named Rebel Wilson.

Super Fun Night trailer

What do you think, will it be kinda dumb, or will it be super fun?