Week 29 and I'm feeling Fine!

Week 28 came and went...now we are onto week 29. Someone stop time...it's going WAY too fast!

McBaby received many Christmas presents this year already! Clothes, books, movies, toys, and even a swing and a bouncer :) Josh and I put them together-we are SO EXCITED!

I asked Josh, while he was working on the swing, "Does this make you feel like a Daddy?" He responded with, "No, not yet..."

DARN! Although on Christmas Eve night McBaby was moving around SO MUCH! I swear you could feel his/her foot sticking straight out of me! It was amazing. I am so glad that Josh was able to feel it as well. I try to grab his hand and put it on my stomach whenever McBaby decides it is time to move around.

Currently, McBaby is about 3 pounds and is approximately 17 inches long. You are probably thinking, "that's almost as long as babies are when they are born"...well, yes, you are correct! McBaby needs to fatten up a bit, so the majority of the growing-length- is about finished...just a few more inches. The growing -outward-is going to continue. McBaby will double in weight from now until his/her grand entrance.

McBaby's eyes are currently blue; however, now is the time they could start changing colors. Mcbaby is going to have one of three things happen to him/her...
1. Born with Blue eyes and they stay blue
2. Born with Blue eyes and they change within the first 9 months (mine changed when I was in 10th grade...so we'll see how accurate we are)
3. Change NOW...

I am also at the point in our pregnancy that we need to be "counting kicks". Twice a day, the Dr. has ordered me to STOP and RELAX (AWESOME). I am supposed to feel 10 kicks within one hour. If I don't feel that, it could just be that McBaby is taking a little break, so they recommend to eat something sugary to help activate our little critter...then try again.

I've been doing a lot more eating...it's about every 2 hours I have something light to eat. Christmas sure did me in on all the sweets. Although my glucose test came back negative (I do not have gestational diabetes)...I still need to keep an eye on what I eat...

I also have the "Linea Nigra" going on - AKA-the brown line going from above my belly button to below it. I don't mind it really...it's another fun change my body is going through. I love experiencing all of these different changes.

Also, depending on the time of day, my belly button is completely out! This picture doesn't do justice to the amount it has popped out, but it's pretty far out here. In the morning, I'm barely showing, and my belly button is almost all of the way in. By late afternoon, my stomach is out, rock hard, and my belly button is out!

Houston-we have a mover!!

Christmas Vacation :)

Josh and I braved the weather on December 23rd and headed up to the lakes. It normally takes us about 6.5-7 hours to get there from Austin; however...this trip took more than 10 hours because of the roads. It was a long haul...and I stayed awake for all of it but the last hour :)

Everyone was there: Grandma & Grandpa Barsness, Josh & Myself, Lynn, Kim, Kathy, Natalie, Nora, TJ, Paris, Shelly, Jesse, & Troy. Tom and his two boys couldn't make it in from CA this year, and Jake couldn't make it up from FL...but other than that-everyone was present!

Some of my favorite memories from this year:
* Learning how to play Risk (something I always watched my family play)
* Catching up with family
* Learning how to make Grandma's homemade Caramel Rolls (oh yes, I will be making them this week if anyone is interested in coming down to Austin!)
* Trying to build a snowman with Natalie & Josh; however the snow was packing :(
* Lounging around & eating
* Movie in their home theatre!
* Dirty Bingo
* Nice long walk outside with Josh on Christmas Day-the day we were snowed in...

Yes we were snowed in, so our Christmas plans were changed. I will admit I was REALLY bummed out not to see my family on Christmas Day, but I will next year :)We traveled home on Saturday, December 26th to spend the evening with my mom and dad! My mom made my FAVORITE: Chili - and even a bowl for Josh without beans :) You're the best mom!

My favorite Christmas present of all time was the gift my parents gave to us. You see, EVERY Christmas Eve, my dad would read "The Night Before Christmas" to all of us. This was a tradition he started well before I was even born. It is also a tradition that I have held him to. Every Christmas Eve I have my dad read me the story. For Christmas this year, my parents gave all four of us girls the same gift: "The Night Before Christmas" book...with a special recording from my DAD!! I was so excited when I opened it that I cried. I don't believe the pregnancy hormones had anything to do with these tears...these were strictly tears of joy!

That evening Josh and I took my mom to the movie "Avatar" at the IMAX Theatre...AMAZING!

That movie is unbelievable...you have to see it, and you have to see it at the IMAX!

On Sunday, Josh and I traveled over to OD's house to have Christmas with Other Dad, Sharon, Kayla & Mike. We had such a good time over there! His dad made the most delicious soup...it was a recipe from the Olive Garden...SO GOOD :) And he gave me a copy! OD & Sharon shopped on our registry for us for Christmas (something Josh highly recommended) and we received two AWESOME items :) They bought McBaby his/her swing and swaddling bouncer :) We were so excited that we put them together the very next day! We also had a blast playing Catch Phrase as a group...I think I bruised Josh's rib cage when I threw it at him-I just get WAY too excited when I play that game!


I wanted to spend a little more time with my parents, since my dad had to go to bed the night before and couldn't go with us to the movie...
So we ventured back to my mom and dad's house! We were going to go bowling - the four of us - YES...my mom said she was going to go :) But they had leagues, so we have to reschedule. But we played games instead. Now if you know my dad, you know that he doesn't like to play games that much...well, he played...and he liked them!

We played Apples to Apples & Scattegories. My favorite part of Apples to Apples...haha was at one point, my mom did something funny. I started laughing so hard and then I did the same thing! Then my dad drew a new green card and the definition was "Nasty". He ended up picking Josh's card, which read, "My Family". Haha-I was crying I was laughing so hard...Oh the memories! I love you mom and dad!

Now that we are home and our house is put back together and everything is unpacked...we are able to enjoy the rest of our Christmas Vacation relaxing! We had a very fun Christmas and look forward to the year 2010!

Week 28 :)

Okay so I am updating this one during my student's recess! Considering I have nothing to do since they are all outside playing and burning energy! That and Josh and I are leaving RIGHT after school today to head up north for our Christmas with his side of the family!

Our baby is currently 28 weeks old, 2.5 pounds and 16-17 inches long! I look at my stomach and wonder where on earth this child is laying! At our last Dr.'s appointment, we asked him if he had an "idea" of where McBaby was laying...

He thinks McBaby's head is in the right place - leaving his/her feet resting ever so gently against my rib cage (notice the sarcasm!). I can tell all the time now when McBaby moves, because I have to go to the bathroom! This past week I have finally started to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

Sleeping...well, it sucks! I can't get comfortable at all. My back hurts 24/7, but I have just learned to deal with it. Josh bought me an hour massage for Christmas, so I cannot wait to use that over break!

Josh and I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas! Travel safe and enjoy your time together :) We are very excited to think that at this time next year, we will be celebrating little McBaby's very first Christmas!! Wow...time really goes quickly!

Week 28 Coming Soon

I have to apologize for the major delay in week 28.

I have the pictures on my camera, but I have been running around all night trying to pack for our Christmas Travels and packing a "Winter Survival Kit" for the car.

Pictures will be up, but I'm not sure when...

Holiday Cheer

I had some fun with our cookie cutters and decided to post the results of my decorating!!

I asked Josh afterwards if he wanted to eat them and he said, "I can eat those? I thought they were special and couldn't eat!" Silly silly...of course he can :) I'll just have to do it again at a later date with McBaby's name :)


Some with sprinkles and some without :)

My mom and dad are coming down tomorrow to spend the night! Lucky for my dad he'll get to enjoy these as well! He is going to play "Santa" at our school on Tuesday morning, and then they spend the day in my classroom with me :) It's really fun, I love having them in my class-and so do my kids every year! My students are always shocked to see that I actually have a mom and dad too! It's like they think I am too old or something :)

27 Weeks!

Pretty soon we are going to be doing the daily countdown! For now, we're at 13 more weeks...which is NOT a long time AT ALL; however, it feels like eternity!

This past weekend Josh and I traveled up to Maple Grove and had a delicious dinner with his mom and had a small Christmas gathering...just the 3.75 of us :) Josh's favorite "Christmas Cookie" is Krumcake...which I have NO IDEA how to make. Well, no idea until Lynn came to the rescue! I am now the proud owner of a Krumcake kit and a Rosetta kit...I'll let you know how it goes! It was a lot of fun to go up there!!

She also bought us our VERY FIRST PACK of DIAPERS :) Yes...I'm so pumped! Size N (newborn) and Size 1 :) YEAH!

On Sunday night I washed ALL of our baby clothes and blankets. I could not have been more excited about folding the sweet little clothes and putting them away...what a joy! I can't get over how sweet and perfect the little socks are...they are adorable! I was worried they would get lost in the washing machine-but I was wrong!

Also, I have my very first shower date SET :) January 31st! I could not be more excited! I seriously have been blessed with the most amazing friends EVER! I love Austin...these friends are our other family...

Our baby is currently more than 2 pounds and is about 15 inches long....that's longer than a foot! HOLY CATS! No wonder I feel him/her moving around so much in there!

Josh and I enjoy staring at my stomach and watching little punches/kicks. And since McBaby can now hear...we are able to talk to him/her. It's a little awkward still, but we'll get used to it. Josh asked me, "So what do I say??" I think that is the question all dads ask...what do you say to a stomach? My response....just talk. When I'm by myself, I am talking McBaby, telling him/her all about the day, the weather, where I am, etc...poor kid can't get away from me talking all the time!

Couple of fun stories from a friend's daughter:
Girl: "Do you know what you are having yet?"
Me: "No, we aren't going to find out either. What do you think we are having?"
Girl: "I don't know, but do you have any names picked out?"
Me: "Some, but it's really hard. What do you think we should name our baby?"
Girl: "Well, I can tell you this much. If you have a girl, don't name her Paige. Then kids will tease her like 'Paige, turn the Page'".

Too funny!

Also, I have my class completely trained! I got a new student yesterday, and my class was telling her all about me. They told her I was pregnant, and so I explained that I have a baby growing in my tummy (as she could clearly tell)...and one of my little girls raised her hand. When I called on her she said, "Mrs. McRae is not fat, she has a baby growing in her tummy!" HAHAHAHAHA...I just about died.

The things these kids say and do...they just crack me up :)

Christmas is next week...all our shopping is done, presents wrapped, cookies baked (expect Krumcaka and Rosetta's) and decorations up and Christmas cards MAILED! I love this time of the year :)

Happy week before Christmas :)

Oh yeah - some fun tidbits:
* I have gained 16 pounds (which seems like a lot...but the baby is growing at least!) You can do the math to figure out my original weight if you want to, but I have hit 160 for the first time in my LIFE! Which was a little scary to see.
* I have also had some SERIOUS back pains lately. Poor Josh has been rubbing my back every night. It's not my lower back either, like typical pregnancies...but up near my shoulder blades. I think my body isn't used to carrying so much weight up top...if you can catch my drift!
* I LOVE MILK...I drink more than my daily dose, yet I can't seem to get enough of it! We go through a gallon every two days...and it's usually just me drinking it!
* Monday we go in for our Diabetes test...I'm not looking forward to drinking the nasty stuff...

Week 26 and a Blizzard Please!

I am not talking about a DQ Blizzard; although that does sound delightful! I am talking about the fact that we have a SNOW DAY today due to the blizzard that has been moving through Austin since last night and today!

We have a ton of snow in our yard, but it is hard to tell exactly how much due to the fact that so much has drifted. There are parts where you can still see the tips of the grass or even the driveway, but then there are other parts that the drifts are up over 2-3 feet high! I'm not really sure how much we've gotten!

Poor Josh will have to move it all...LUCKILY...we were looking through and trying to figure out how we could afford a snow blower this year knowing a baby is on the way and we need to save for day care (starting in the fall)...and there just wasn't any way we were going to make it work. Then the Heaven's opened up on Tuesday at school, and our friends, Ellie and Harold told us they would lend us their extra snow blower this winter! They brought it over last night before it got TOO bad outside!

Now Josh just has to blow the snow...

No he's not lazy and Yes he could shovel...but we have a very wide, long driveway, so it makes it tough...and with the drifts...we are so thankful for the Verdoorn's!!

At 26 weeks, I have been realizing how quickly we are coming to the end! We have 14 weeks left to go...less than 100 days until McBaby is here :) And this time is going to go by so quickly! We might as well take away all of December, because we all know how quickly this month goes by!

McBaby is weighing in at 2 whole pounds! Can you believe it! Well, according to the books he/she is at 2 pounds! And a whole 9 inches tall :)

McBaby is also opening his/her eyes now! They recommend taking a flashlight and flashing it at my stomach! McBaby may respond with some kicks in that area! McBaby can also hear and respond to sounds. I told Josh he better start talking to my belly now so McBaby will know exactly who his/her daddy is :)

Did you know that ALL babies inside the uterus have blue eyes!? No matter their ethnicity. I find that to be extremely interesting. McBaby may come out with blue eyes, but they may change after 6 months. Will they be blue like daddy or green like mommy?? ALTHOUGH...my eyes were brown until I was in about 9th/10th grade-then they changed green. Weird, I know!

My stomach is growing rather quickly as well. My students are very quick to remind me how big I am getting! I can still wear all of my "small" t-shirts and one pair of my normal jeans. I choose to wear maternity clothes everyday for comfort!

Looks like my list of things to do today needs to get started now! I want to have everything clean and organized by noon so I can enjoy the rest of the day! If Josh wakes up anytime soon, I will start vacuuming :)

I heart snow days :) Just hope we don't have "too" many of them to cause any problems for my maternity leave...we get 3 scheduled in the year, and there is one make up day scheduled (during my leave)...so if we have to go back at the end of the year for an extra day....DANG IT! It'll all work out :)

All of my Christmas decorations are up, my tree is lit (and cat free) and all of our Christmas presents are wrapped and under the tree, ready to give to everyone! I LOVE my new Willow Tree Nativity set! I have been wanting this for a few years now, so I am so so so happy Josh let me buy it when it was 50% off the entire set :) I didn't buy 1 piece...so I'll have to go back when they have another sale to purchase it :)

Week 25

We only have 15 more weeks left!

We are getting SO EXCITED! Especially now since you can actually TELL that I am pregnant :)

We went to Babies R Us this weekend and registered...which was a lot of fun, but very overwhelming at the same time! There is SO MUCH stuff that you NEED! Registering for wedding gifts was different, because we had things already and knew if we didn't receive something, we'd be okay. But for our baby...OMG! We need EVERYTHING...

So you can view our registry at www.babiesrus.com then type in my or Josh's name under the registry :) I already emailed McBaby's Grandparents and told them to get shopping :)

While we were there, we saw a Doppler, so we bought it. It was very inexpensive-which is probably why it doesn't work that well...but it's something fun to listen to. You can hear McBaby moving around in there.

Then we thought we would get creative and put it on my heart and Josh's heart...which you can hear. Poor Kix never saw it coming. His poor little heart was beating SO FAST!

We also bought a book for Josh...all about being a dad. I believe it's everything "New Dad's" need to know! In there it stated that the woman's brain shrinks 3-5%...HOLY CATS! I can't have that now...not when I have papers due!

It also gave a fun new way to take pictures-which we did. It said for Josh to lay on the ground under me-looking up. Had we started this earlier, you would be able to slowly see my face disappearing as my belly grew, but now you can just see the tip of my nose :)
Enjoy!

This morning when I woke up, Josh must have opened the blinds in the bathroom, because when I walked in, I saw our Squirrel corn feeder FLYING all around outside.

I walked over to the window, very groggy from sleeping still, and saw a squirrel jumping on our corn! I sat there for about 2 min. watching, thinking, "Is this seriously going on - it's great!" Then I thought to myself...GET THE CAMERA!

I honestly thought for sure that the squirrel would be gone, but he wasn't....he was in full entertainment mode :)

Enjoy the little video clip I got of our pet squirrel outside :) I hope they stick around all winter as we'll have the corn up all winter!




Guess who really enjoys watching this video...

Love,
Striker, Cooper & Kix

Week 24

I feel like these weeks are going by more quickly than I can keep up with. We are on week 24 already! WOW!!

McBaby is officially (according to the books) 1.5 pounds and 8.5 inches long! McBaby is sure growing rather quickly! He/she has been doing a lot of moving lately too :)

They say that your baby can hear things at this time, and playing different types of music can be very beneficial for their growth and development! Good thing it's time for Christmas music, because I believe that is the number 1 key factor in producing strong, healthy children! Josh may disagree...but I'll play it daily until Christmas :) Hahaha!!

This past week Josh and I had conferences at our school. All day Monday and Tuesday. And to top that off, Josh had basketball practice both days. Poor guy...at least he only made one kid throw up from all the running they did!

I found out some VERY sad news during one of my conferences. One of my little students told me she is MOVING and next week is her LAST week :( I started crying during the conference...I hate seeing kids leave. She is such a wonderful individual too. Everyday she touches my stomach and tells the baby she loves him/her! And then she kisses it :) It's the most precious thing.

I have another student that was working on her handwriting, and I was helping her. Then she stopped, looked at my stomach, stood up, patted my stomach and said, "You're getting so big in there!"

Haha - they say the cutest things :)

We are spending Thanksgiving up at my mom and dad's house this year, and I am very excited! Nobody bakes a pumpkin pie like my dad does :) SO EXCITED! We will also be having a Thanksgiving breakfast with Josh's Dad and Sharon ...and we get to see Kayla and Mike :) Super pumped!

I'll post some holiday pictures this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving and happy travels!

Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese has to be one of God's greatest gifts to mankind :) Seriously- I love it! I could eat it EVERYDAY!

This weekend, I had class in the cities. I was about 1 mile away from OD (Other Dad) and Sharon...so I called them about doing lunch! Turns out I called too late, because they had already eaten...but they still cooked for me :) Guess what it was :) YUP - I put in the request for Mac 'n Cheese! YUMMY! OD - You make some killer Mac 'n cheese!

Anyway - here's the VERY BAD NEWS:

Today, Josh and I were hungry- it was lunch time, I suggested...drum role please...Mac 'n cheese! So we ate it! But, after I finished my bowl, he came in the room and said the worst news EVER,
"Cori, I think I've had my fill of mac 'n cheese!"So now it looks like I will be eating it ALL ON MY OWN :) YUMMY!

PS - I love the spiral kind :)

Week 23

At 23 weeks, I find myself hitting the in between stages of pregnancy. Some days I look very pregnant, others I don't. This morning when I woke up and was looking at my side profile in the mirror (something I find myself doing ALL the time now), I barely looked pregnant! If you didn't know me, you would think that I just had a little tummy fat!

But by this afternoon, there he/she was :)

This week in school I have been talking to my kids a lot about the meaning of Thanksgiving and the different types of things we should be thankful for. I started talking about the basic things to be thankful for (in kid terms):
Toys, snacks, blankets, clothes, games, etc...

Then we got into some bigger ideas such as:
house (and why we need homes), beds, food, etc...

Then we hit the big one:
Family and friends! We were able to realize that without our family and friends, we wouldn't have a lot of things in our life! It was a big concept for kindergarteners to understand :) But they did it ;)

Then I was about to demonstrate the writing activity we were going to begin working on, and I was listing different things I am thankful for. Then one of my students said, "Mrs. McRae, you should be thankful for your baby." Now I like to have students explain their answers, so I asked, "You are absolutely right, why should I be thankful for my baby?" And this little girl responded by saying, "Because that is the one that God gave to you!" Then at that very moment, a little boy said, "And you should be thankful for Mr. McRae". Again I responded by saying "You are right, but why should I be thankful for Mr. McRae?" And he responded by saying, "Because he loves you and takes care of you!"

It was the sweetest conversation! It brought a couple little tears to my eyes :)

So here I am...23 weeks pregnant, feeling great and loving every minute of this experience! I cannot wait to meet McBaby!

McBaby is moving around a lot more now too :) I think he/she is telling McGramma to get that Thanksgiving meal cooking...YUMMY! SUPER hungry for some delicious Thanksgiving food and some of McGrampa's FAMOUS Pumpkin Pie!!! I wonder if McGrampa will make an extra one for McBaby to take home and savor??? Sure hope so!

On another note: I have been unbelievably busy these past couple weeks. I have been holding several Pampered Chef parties, and keeping myself rather busy! I also have a lot of committee meetings and class. Josh has been such a great support in helping me out! He's cooked dinner a few more times and carried my laundry up and down for me! I love you Schmoopy! Things will slow down again after Thanksgiving! Just have to get through a couple more PC Parties. I figure it'll be great money for us right around Christmas!

Anyway, today I came home from one of my meetings and guess what I saw! The most beautiful sight...Josh putting up our Christmas lights and putting our two Christmas deer in the front yard! The deal is, I can't have the lights on until AFTER Thanksgiving. If I wait and decorate the house over Thanksgiving weekend, then I can listen to all the Christmas music I want :) YEAH! It's totally worth the wait!

Striker has been looking to get outside more. Josh thinks we should get a leash and take him on kitty walks :) Here is a picture that I took of him tonight...this is where he waits when he knows one of us is outside. He just wants to be out there...

Until later,
Josh, Cori & McBaby