Archives for August 2012

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.

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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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Birth class Graduates (barely)

August 21, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Tonight Denny and I graduated from birth class!  

(Pomp and Circumstance is playing in the background) 

It’s a feat that’s not exactly worthy of a bullet point on our resumes, but nonetheless an experience that seemed very blog post worthy.

Despite many moments that we felt were worthy of the phrase, “That’s what she said,” we did learn some helpful info.  I also have some feedback about the 9 hours we spent learning about our daughter’s entry into the world.   Here are my thoughts about it all…

  • Breathing exercises…  Really??   We are practicing breathing?  It is the only single activity I have consistently remembered to do every day of my life, so I’m not sure that I should be spending more time practicing it before I’m about to be responsible for a new life.  I’m going to be a role model for a child in a few weeks, right?  So maybe the time should be spent on other important exercises, perhaps Making your bed on a daily basis exercises, or How to make more time for healthy cooking and less time for Dance Mom watching exercises.
  • The birthing video (yikes)… If the hospital feels the need to make us watch a “real” couple have a baby, can we please get relatable characters?  Christina. the Mom in the video, might be cute for the maternity Victorias Secret magazine but her perfect blond hair (which didn’t even get sweaty while delivering), her belly button ring and her barely-there bump made me more annoyed than inspired.  If we are going to get real with the video, let’s get real with the characters… I’d like to see swollen feet, stretch marks, and a frumpy hospital gown… then maybe I’ll be able to relate.  And sorry Christina, but the sports bra and teeny tiny tennis skirt (minus the spanks) you wore during labor should be saved for the Wimbledon after-party NOT the birthing suite.
  • And finally must we spend so much time discussing The Birth Plan??  Birth plan, smirth plan… Isn’t asking the first-time mom to create a birth plan kind of like asking the 5-year old on his first flight to Disney to write a flight plan?   Don’t get me wrong, I love, love, LOVE making plans and creating agendas, but won’t our future daughter be the Director for this action scene?  The only non-negotiable item on my plan is the epidural.  My birthing slogan: No drugs, No baby.  There may not be an “I” in team but there is an “I” in epidural.  (Perhaps I’ll make pink t-shirts with that slogan for my family to wear in the waiting room).

So there you have it, my interpretation of birth class in a nut shell. 

It was slightly scary, yes…  

It was entertaining, indeed (although I’m not sure it was supposed to be)…  

And it was Informational, almost too much!  

But perhaps next time, we’ll just buy the cliffnotes.

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Picture(s) of the Week *Beanette’s Shower*

August 19, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

We are so lucky to have had another AMAZING shower this weekend!   

This time it was for all of our friends in Buffalo.   Thanks again to Mom, Melissa, Marietta & Emma, Anne Marie, Abbi & Molly, and all of our other friends and neighbors that worked together to make the day so special!  They pulled out all the stops to make it a BEAUTIFUL shower for our Baby Girl.  I can’t say enough of how much it all means to us!  I’ll let the pictures tell the full story.

3 Generations — Mom, Melissa, Beanette & me

Anne Marie & Abbi – party planners extraordinaire!

Amazing buffet!

Even the front door was decorated

AMAZING Cupcakes for our Little Cupcake!

For the Little Cupcakes monthly photo shoot! What little girl doesn’t need a tutu?

Some of the great neighbor kiddos! Beanette has some really great girls to look up to.

Just a few of the great guests!

THANK YOU everyone for making our day really special!  Beanette can’t wait to meet all of you.  🙂

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A Walk Down Memory Lane… August 16, 2008

August 15, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

~~  Four years ago today was one of the Happiest days of my life!  ~~

8.16.08

Denny and I said I Do!

My best friend met me at the end of the aisle and vowed to love me forever.  How lucky am I?

4 years… 1461 days… 35064 minutes… and it keeps getting better! 

 It’s hard to find the words to express how lucky I feel to be married to Denny McGee… I am happy knowing that I get to spend every day with someone who knows me better than I know myself, and who still makes me belly laugh all the time. 

It hasn’t always been good, and it hasn’t always been easy but the challenging days are the times that make me realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing partner in life holding my hand and protecting my heart.

I’m sure 4 years will turn to 24 years and to 40 years in the blink of an eye, but for today I want to appreciate what we have and focus on all the good thats to come…

I can’t wait for Denny and I to turn from a couple to a family.  I can’t wait to see him hold our daughter.  And I can’t wait to find out what it’s like to tell our kids about our story, and how we became an “Us”

So Cheers to the past 8 years together…

Cheers to the past 4 years as husband and wife…

And Cheers to the future of growing old together!

I Love You Denny, Thank You for marrying me and vowing to love me forever.  I’m one lucky lady 

xoxo, em

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A Mommy McBlog Bumpdate (Bump + Update)

August 13, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

On the McGee McBlog (our personal blog). I normally do a Picture of the Week.  But with a baby girl on the way I’m not sure I’ll still have time to update both the personal blog and the Mommy McBlog while trying to be SuperMom, SuperWife and SuperEmployee… I think it only makes sense to transition everything to Mommy McBlog.

So here is the new Mommy McBlog segment, Picture of the Week!

Well, here she is…  Not me, Beanette (she’s not able to be in a picture without me, so you get me by default).  Then Lexi heard that we were taking a picture of the cutest little girl in the house and she jumped in too.   

Beanette is growing and growing (aka I am growing and growing, eek) and getting closer to her big arrival day. 

32 Weeks!
Up Close 32 Weeks, whoa!  Apparently the camera does add 10(ish) lbs    🙂

I’ve been getting all kinds of questions from friends and family so I thought I’d do my best to answer them all in one post.  Here goes…

The Good: Mostly everything!  I really love being pregnant.  It’s been pretty cool to feel her move around and know that there is a little girl in my belly.  She kicks the most in the morning and late afternoon.  I think I even felt her hiccup the other day.  So cute!

The Bad:  Other than a few regular trips to the chiropractor for some back pains, I’ve been feeling really good still.  Let’s hope it continues.

The Ugly:  My sausage feet.  They don’t hurt but they some nights they get quite puffy.  Gotta love Denny for being an amazing hubby and making me foot baths with Epsom Salt.  🙂

Heaven!

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The Name:  Still a secret (mainly because we still have not decided on it).  You can keep asking us, but we won’t say a word until she’s here.

The Heat:  Still not bothering me, but I get asked all the time if it does.  Luckily, I’m fine with it.

 

The Prep:  Maybe I’m biased but her room is looking SO cute!!!  Some days I sit in there and get teary imagining the first time we get to bring her in there and all the nights we will read her books and rock her to sleep.  Just a few more projects to go and I think her room will be totally Beanette ready.  I’ll post lots of photos once it is complete.

The Waiting:  We’ve had a lot of people ask us if we are ready to meet her.  Honestly, I don’t mind being pregnant and we are enjoying these last few months with the two of us.  We would love to meet her if she surprises us in September.  If not, we are fine waiting for a little October baby.

 

The Nesting:  Yes, Yes and Yes!  I’m getting a little nuts with the organizing, but I guess it’s all part of the fun.

The Cravings:  I haven’t had too many crazy cravings during the pregnancy, but I definitely won’t turn down a Popsicle or ice cream.  I also have been loving those neon gummy worms.  Perhaps Beanette will glow when she arrives?

Yum! 

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So stay tuned and we’ll keep you all posted during the next few weeks as the countdown continues to parenthood! 

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Have you Liked Mommy McBlog on Facebook yet?  It would make Beanette happy!  Click here, and do it.  You know you wanna!

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Mommy McBlog Olympics *400 M Gender Reveal Party Throwing*

August 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan

Team Romania Gymnastics vs. Team US Gymnastics

Pink vs. Blue

What do these all have in common??  All famous Olympic rivalries (well, kind of)

Our time in London is winding down, but we’re not ready for the Closing Ceremonies without a look at one of the newest and most popular sports in Mommy McBlog Olympics, 400 M Gender Reveal Party Throwing.

It may not be safe for pregnant women to throw a shotput or a javelin, but it is safe for pregnant women to throw a party!

So for those of you like Denny and I that couldn’t wait until he or she arrived, a gender reveal party was the best way to make our baby’s gender a fun announcement to friends and family, while still reaping the benefits of being able to decorate the room accordingly.   Here are some pictures of our gender reveal party in May from our personal blog.   We did not break as many world records as the Jamaicans did in London, but here are a few tips I followed to make our way to the Pink and Blue medal podium.

The official It’s A Box!! Inside was the juicy secret the world (aka 20 close friends and family members) was waiting to hear.

  • Coach Pinterest  —  Just like an athlete needs a coach, a  Gender Reveal Party Thrower needs Pinterest!  The Website is an AMAZING source of ideas to make the party special and personalized.  Whether you announce the secret by baking cupcakes with pink or blue insides, or whether you announce it by opening a box of balloons, there are a ton of photos to get your creative juices flowing.  Here are a few of some of my favorite pictures from Pinterest that inspired me.
Pinned Image

Such a great idea and an adorable couple!

Pinned Image

A great way to involve your guests

Pinned Image

A nice way to show how much the baby has grown so far!

  • Involve your fans  —  What’s an Olympic sport without an arena (or house) full of screaming fans?  It’s the Olympics afterall, so be sure to ask your guests to dress in pink or blue based on their guess!   The excitement will make the reveal that much more fun.
  • Use social media for friends that can’t attend the party — NBC was busy during the weekend of our reveal, but we announced the results on Facebook right after we found out at the party!   Don’t forget about Skype and Twitter to spread the word, too!

  • Don’t Peek ahead of time  — Just as Olympians don’t know the outcome of the events before they begin, Denny and I wanted to be equally surprised as our guests at the party.   To accomplish this, we had the sonogram tech seal the envelope at our appointment and then we gave it directly to the florist so she could fill our reveal box with the correct color balloons. I’m so glad we waited to find out the long-awaited pink or blue secret!

The Moment of Truth… Team PINK!

So there you have it, tips for a Gold Medal Gender Reveal Party!  Whether you take a spot on the Pink Medal Stand or the Blue Medal Stand, it will be one of the best surprises of your life!!

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Mommy McBlog Olympics *Womens Synchro Maternity Dressing*

August 6, 2012 by · 1 Comment

I haven’t taken any gold medals when it comes to fashion lately.  In fact, I don’t even think my maternity style made the cut to go to the London, but trying to look fashionable while dressing a 20+ lb. bump truly feels like it should be an Olympic sport some days!

On occassion I feel frumpy, but most days I feel like the bump is the coolest accessory I could ever have.  Though I’m no fashionista, perhaps these lessons can help you on your way to Getting the Gold!

  • Prepping for the Big Game… (can you hear Eye of the Tiger Plays in the background??)    In the sport of Women’s Synchro Maternity Dressing, the right equipment is key to making your country proud.   A few good basics, some cute accessories and some confidence can go a long way.   My favorite spot to train is Destination Maternity!  The ladies that work there are fabulous, the water they serve is perfectly chilled, and the treatment is first-class.   But as much as I love it there, I’ve learned to keep my eye on the prize and set a specific list of “need items.” If not, Destination Maternity may potentially becomes Destination Credit Card Debt!

  • Tight ain’t Right…   Just because Michael Phelps wears spandex, doesn’t mean it’s the way to go as you swim through 40 weeks of pregnancy.   If you are still wearing non-maternity clothes to your 36-week sonogram or if your co-workers can tell when the baby kicks, you may want to ask yourself if you are really setting yourself up for a gold medal.

You won’t even be invited to the Opening Ceremonies in this outfit!

  • Buy the Spanx, you’ll be saying Thanx…   I found a pair of these bad boys and they have been the best investment yet, enough said!!

A Perfect 10!!

And Finally…

  • Give your feet a little retreat (and I’m not referring to the Olympic Village)!!!  I was convinced that I could wear my heels all the way to through the pregnancy triathlon , but after a few nights of super puffy feet I’ve accepted that flat shoes will be the only way I can get to the finish line.  So my heels are now tucked far under my desk and I’ve dusted off my flats.  In the meantime, two cups of Epsom Salt and a bucket of hot water have made my nights a little bit more relaxing!

The only way to be “Swifter, higher, stronger!

So there you have it… the rules and guidelines of the newest sport in the Olympic games, Womens Synchro Maternity Dressing!   I can’t promise that you’ll hear the National Anthem, but hopefully you’ll feel a little bit better as you get ready to meet your little Champion!

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Enjoying the Mommy McBlog (even a tiny bit)?  Like it on Facebook today… you’ll make a pregnant lady happy!

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Mommy McBlog Olympics *Freestyle Pack-N-Play Assembly*

August 4, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

This week totally got away from me.  Between the new job and more baby room prep, I haven’t been keeping up with the Mommy McBlogging Olympic sports as much as I had hoped.  But I’ve been doing a great job of watching the Olympics.  My bump and I get the gold in putting my feet up and watching TV!  Woo hoo!

Denny and I did participate in a grueling round of Freestyle Pack N Play assembly!  The event took place at the Family Room Arena with the Graco Pack N Play – Erin  (very fitting name) from Target .  We know it will be very useful, but we would have been able to assemble it much easier if we actually read the directions carefully versus skimming them and trying to make assumptions.  The first time we set-up the attached diaper changer it was slightly upside down.  This cost us dearly as the Danish judge gave us a .6 deduction in assembly for this.  The second time we assembled the diaper changer, we did much better and even got points for keeping our toes pointed!

If you prefer to avoid the 105-page instruction manual in 6 different languages, feel free to go to this Website.  Much easier – score!

Check it out the finished product and the score from the judges below…

Freestyle Pack N Play Assembly Score for Team McGee…

  • German Judge   –  8.8
  • American Judge  – 9.4
  • Danish Judge  –  8.9
  • Chinese Judge  –  9.3
  • Russian Judge  – 9.5

OVERALL SCORE:  9.18 

It was enough to earn us the Silver Medal and a great little place for the little girl to sleep when she naps downstairs or when she naps during visits to our friends and families houses!

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Stay tuned this week for more Mommy McBlogging Olympic Games… what sports are you participating in to get ready for the arrival of your little champ??

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