The Big 3-0!!

February 17, 2013 by · 1 Comment

Last weekend was my Big 3-0!  It was a great weekend and I’m looking forward to a new decade.

While sometimes on this blog I like to get a little sappy about how fast time is going, that is not the case today friends.

We’re going to take a hard and fast look at the past decade.

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My 20’s were like the month of March….

In like a lion, out like a lamb!

In like a “Thursday-night drinkin, stay-up-late, livin with girlfriends” lion.

And out like a “can’t stay up past 10 PM, I’m so in love with my baby girl, and I am considering buying a mini van” lamb.

Don’t believe me?  Well the numbers don’t lie.  Check out year over year changes of my 20’s:

thirty chart

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So there you have it!  I’m not exactly a carefree 20-year old, but an awesome decade has come and gone and with it I’ve gained so much (and I’m not just referring to those lingering pounds of baby weight)!  I’ve gained a cute husband, a sweet baby, a cuddly kitty, a few gray hairs (and on occasion a recurring chin hair, gross!) 2 degrees, a Facebook account, a mortgage, a few more lines on my resume, a handful of life experiences, and lots of happy memories.

Plus I still feel young.  In fact I’m pretty much a young Sally O’Malley!

I’m Thirty… I like to kick, stretch, aaaaaaaaaand kick!!  IIIIIIIII’m Thirty!!

I’m looking forward to another decade and I have a good feeling my 30’s will be a Choo Choo Charlie and a Class Act!

Have a great week everyone!

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Titles!

January 24, 2013 by · 1 Comment

I’ve been back to work for about 3 weeks now and attempting to juggle it all.  It’s not easy but it feels good when I (sometimes) get it right.  And please don’t judge me but it turns out I’m actually happy to be back to work.  I LOVED maternity leave and I miss our little girl all day, but I also appreciate having some balance.   So while I was racing down Route 33 on my way to work this morning (hoping that I remembered to leave bottles at daycare, worrying that I forgot to turn off the coffee pot and praying I put on matching shoes) I started to do a little thinking about my “title” in this world.

It’s a funny little thing how aspirations change over time.

Growing up I always knew I wanted to be known as Mom someday.  But I also had other goals.  In high school and college I was convinced I wanted a glamorous job.  I was hoping for a title that included the words VP or Chief.  I wanted to work in a tall building with a fancy title.  I wanted to wear heels and dressy clothes.    I was ready to take on the world!!

So I interned… lots!  Seven times to be exact.  I worked in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and NYC, and much of those times I worked for free.  Although the “experience” didn’t exactly pay for my college tuition I was convinced it would someday get me to my dreams.

Then I graduated OU and I jumped into the corporate world.  Sure I had a few “glamorous” moments.  I was able to work with some famous people and I spent plenty of days in heels and nylons.  But it turns out that famous people aren’t really that fun.  In fact when you work in an industry in which you are responsible for ensuring these “famous” people have a good stay, they can kind of be a famous pain in the panty-hose-wearing-a$$.   And wearing heels all day– well that gets old pretty quick too.

So I eventually decided I needed to add another title to my portfolio for a bit in hopes of opening more doors… Ahh Grad student.  Fun times!  Just when I thought hotel guests were challenging, I was wrong.  Waaaay wrong.  12+ hour works days, 4+ hours of homework per night, 5+ days per week = 21 + rough months.

But just as quick as it started, it ended.  I was a grad school grad, hooray!  And the blood, sweat and tears invariably did open more doors.  This time it opened the door to an awesome job at UB.  And I’ve officially switched my view on titles….

I traded wearing fancy heels & drooling over famous people for enjoying jeans-day-Friday & wiping up drool for an adorable baby.

I gave up a the corporate world for a chance to make a difference in the community.

And I realized the dream of being a VP might be a nightmare when you are trying to be M-O-M.

Energetic intern ~~ Overworked corporate glam girl ~~ Hungry-for-change grad student

~~ Working Mom! ~~

So, here I am!!  A working Mom!  I made it to the best title in the world.  My boss in the office is great but my little boss snuggled up in her bed upstairs is even more amazing than I could have ever imagined.   It’s been quite the journey but I can’t remember a time when I’ve loved my title as much as I do now!

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Picture of the Week *Happy New Year – Old Schol*

December 31, 2012 by · 1 Comment

Guess what?!?  2012 was an awesome year!  I can blog for days about how life-changing it was, or how great it is to be parents, but I’ve done that a lot already this year.  And aside from that, I’m quite sure you think I’m a boring old fart Momma.  Well friends, it’s time to let a little cat out of the bag…   I once was a party girl!!  Yep, it’s true!   Although NYE 2013 won’t exactly include any Junction Punches, there once was a time when that tasty purple drink was a staple of my diet.  In honor of the big holiday tonight, the time has come to transport back to one of my favorite nights of all time…

It was the cusp of 2005. 

I was about to graduate from OU in a few months.

My friends and Denny and I decided there was only one place on the earth we needed to be for December 31st.. Athens, Ohio!! 

(Obviously, we would have loved Vegas, or NYC or Miami but we were poor college kids).

I could tell you more about that night but I figured that the pictures will say enough.  Enjoy!!

Holidays 2004 067

My checks & balances BFF Sara!! We were quite out of balance that night.

Holidays 2004 065

Before diapers, wipes and tubby time, we were fun! Although I’m not exactly sure why he married me after that fashion disaster I was wearing.

Holidays 2004 076

Happy New Year from 3 reasons OU was a top party school!

new years 5-on the floor

The ending to my night in 2005
(and I realize it is likely also the ending to any future political aspirations because I am posting this photo)

So there you have it… the Pre-Mommy days of my life!  Our NYE tonight will be much more low-key, but I don’t mind one bit.  Tomorrow I’ll be glad to wake up to a cute baby face versus waking up next to a big old bottle of Tylenol.

Wishing you and yours a WONDERFUL 2013!!  We are forever grateful for all the blessing and memories of 2012.

Cheers!

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What a difference a year makes…

November 3, 2012 by · 1 Comment

::   This weekend makes me think about how lucky we are   ::

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Exactly one year ago tonight we were in the emergency room of Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital finding out we lost our baby.  We were seven weeks pregnant during the 2011 fall back weekend when something went wrong.  It was without a doubt one of the toughest and literally one of the longest nights of our lives.

Fortunately we visited the same hospital again. but this time for different reasons….

Exactly one month ago tonight, we were again at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in the midst of labor awaiting the birth of our sweet baby girl.  She arrived in the wee hours of October 4th!  It was another long night, but a wonderful night.  And it was wonderful enough to make us realize that the heartache we felt on a cold night 11 months prior was part of our journey to turn us into a family of three.

I can’t believe it’s been a year since we said goodbye to what we thought would be our first baby, but I especially can’t believe it’s been a month since we said Hello to Makenzie!  How did time go so fast?  I’m certain we’ll need the extra hour of sleep tonight, but I’m pretty sure we won’t be too heartbroken if we spend it wide awake with good company.

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Picture of the Week *Fight On for Family*

September 2, 2012 by · 3 Comments

My extended family received some tough news lately so I thought it was time to take a little break from the baby countdown and focus on some completely amazing people in our life…  people who I want Beanette to be able to grow up and spend time with so she can see just how lucky she is to be born into a crazy, funny, supportive, AWESOME family!!!

It was Labor Day weekend two years ago that we had a very special family reunion in Buffalo at our house!  My Dad is one of five kids, and from those five kids we’ve grown to a family of about 45 people (what can I say, we are apparently good at procreating).  We don’t get together as often as I wish we did, but when we do spend time together it’s like we’ve never been apart.  We couldn’t get the entire clan together two years ago, but we had representation from Canada, Cali, Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Pa!  Not bad!

  

The group Q photo! Love, Love, LOVE this family!

We got crafty and made a Q collage… each person had their own square to decorate!

During the recent years our family has been touched deeply by cancer… and I think it’s time to show our stance on this completely stupid disease and focus on making some good memories again.  So, from now on, there are new rules in the family…  Cancer is NOT invited, NOT welcome, and NOT allowed to visit our family. 

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, cancer!

As a family we will Stand Up and Fight this stupid disease! 

Cancer, you clearly don’t know who you are messing with; your party is O-V-E-R!

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Picture of the Week *Just the Two of Us*

August 26, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Years before there was a Beanette, and long before we were the McGees, Denny and I were just two crazy kids in love.  When we met I was still an OU student and he was living in Pittsburgh.  

With just a few weeks left of being just the two of us, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane.

When we first started dating the world was different…

  • Facebook was for college students only (I didn’t join until 2005 and Denny thought I was signing up for a dating Website)
  • Texting consisted of writing a note to someone on loose leaf
  • Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson were having wardrobe malfunctions
  • “That’s Hot” was the phrase of the year
  • Usher’s Yeah was the most popular song

May 2004 – Here we are on one of our first weekends together enjoying Athens finest — Courtside Pizza. It was baseball alumni weekend, and I believe Denny wooed me with some cold pitchers of beer.

Fall of 2004 – We were together about 7 months at this time and I already started dreaming of where our future would take us… it actually turned out way better than I ever could have imagined.   🙂

I can’t wait for the next chapter of family photos, but I don’t ever want to forget about the early days (although I’m sure these pictures will someday earn an eyeroll from Beanette). 

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Have a great week everyone!

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Oh the Places She’ll Go!!

August 25, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Thanks to two wonderful showers and countless amazing and generous friends, we are making a big dent in our Baby Girl “To Buy” list!  It is SO fun to see all of the little (and big) items filling our house to make Beanette’s arrival a little cozier for her.

Two of my favorite Beanette items are her car seat and stroller!  I can’t stop looking at them.  We’ve been giving her infant car seat and stroller lots of practice drives around our downstairs and we are constantly looking at it wondering what it will be like when it is filled with a sweet little girl.

Thanks Graco, we think your Snugride is pretty cute! And we added some pink toys hanging from the bar to make it even more girlie!

I think the reason I love these items so much is because it will be what we need to bring her home and to take her to meet all of her favorite people!   I can’t wait for trips to the pumpkin farm, trips to our parents for the holidays, and maybe even a stroll through the neighborhood on warm fall nights. 

I may not be nearly as clever as Dr. Suess but seeing Beanette’s car seat and stroller reminded me of one of my favorite books…

Dear little girl, Today is your day. 

You’re entering the world soon, you’re off and away!

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Oh! The Places you’ll Go!

In your little Graco

You’ll be on your way up, you’ll be visiting fam. 

You’ll join meet all our friends, in your cute little pram.

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You’ll have cute hats on your head, and even cuter socks in your shoes,

You can steer yourself in any direction you (or your parents pushing the stroller) choose!

But someday (hopefully not too soon), you’ll be on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.

_________________________________________

And will you succeed? 

Yes, You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed!)

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Beanette, you’ll move mountains!

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So…

be your name Gracie or Brenna or Mae

or Madelyn Brynn Caelynn or Shea,

You’re off the Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your little Graco is waiting (as are your parents).

So…get on your way!!!

 

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The Birth of the Mommy McBlog!

July 4, 2012 by · 1 Comment

IT’S A…

BLOG!!! 

After lots of waiting, pushing, screaming and an epidural, I’m thrilled to announce the birth of the Mommy McBlog!!

McBlog is 1 post tall by 2 pages wide with brown eyes and green font!

Born to proud author/mommy, Erin McGee

Mommy McBlog was an idea conceived months ago when I found out I was going to be a Mom and thought it would be great to journey through pregnancy and motherhood with other  Moms!  I’m not a Mommy pro, nurse, or certified advice giver, so if you somehow landed on this page looking for ways to cure colic or tame a toddler’s temper, navigate away from this page immediately (I’m not the person to ask!!)

But I am glad to share my experiences with others and perhaps offer a good idea and maybe an occassional laugh!

So pull up a cozy chair, a glider, a Bumbo seat or whatever you find comfortable and join me along the most long-awaited journey of my life… Mommyhood!

xoxo,

Mommy McBlogger

PS  If you feel like doing a good deed for the day, you can like my blog on Facebook too!  Click here and you’ll get fun updates on Facebook about upcoming blog posts and amazing coupons at Target (just kidding – the Target coupon part is a complete fabrication, but it seems like the only way I can catch a busy Mom’s attention).  Hope to see you back here soon!

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