erinqmcgee

The Sweet Things in Life

January 22, 2015 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

He’s here!!!

Our sweet Mitchell Dennis McGee came into the world late at night one week ago today!! It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 days since we were at the hospital anxiously awaiting his arrival. It was an emotional and exciting day but most importantly he arrived as a healthy baby boy. He’s snugly, sweet, full of hair and a perfect little addition to our family.

It’s been a great week and my heart is overwhelmed with appreciation for all we’ve been given.

Our little guy snoozing away this morning… did I mention he’s an awesome sleeper?

I’ll update more later about his arrival and his first week, but for now I thought I’d make a quick post about this morning.

Denny had to go back to work today which means I’m on my own for the first time with the two little ones. I’m still trying to take it easy and avoid stairs so Denny brought all the toys to the family room and we’ve just been playing all day.

Aside from having a fun morning I’ve managed to shower, put a roast in the slow cooker and pump 2 bottles (sorry for the over share but when your culinary skills are as lacking as mine I find pride in making meals for anyone, infant crowd included).

Aside from that here’s what we’ve accomplished today:

:: Makenzie helped me give the little guy a bath. She’s the best big sis! ::

Mitchell wasn’t as excited as she was but he did great!

:: Mitchell got so excited at feeling extra clean that he projectile vomited then pooped up his back ::

:: Kenz learned how to use my camera and insisted on taking pictures of the TV, Mitchell, Mommy and most of the house ::

Kenzie cam of the TV, which we probably watched too much of today, but hey, we’re just trying to get through our first day.

Kenzie taking a picture of brother. “Say cheese baby!”

“Smile, Mommy!”

:: We had a picnic breakfast and lunch because of the no lifting rule ::

And now Makenzie is snuggled up in bed, Mitchell is swaddled up and rocking, and I’m enjoying a little bowl of ice cream as a Hey I made it half of the day on my own with 2 happy kids celebration. Then it’s time to scoop up this little guy and enjoy snuggles until Big Sis wakes up.

I have a feeling the next three months, or perhaps, the next three decades are going to vanish in a blink. I better sit back and enjoy the sweet stuff!

More updates soon!

Love,
Erin

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Adventures in Parenthood, Baby McGee 2, Makenzie Ruth, Mitchell Dennis

Baby prep and burnt pancakes

January 12, 2015 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

This morning started like a normal Sunday morning, but it was a just little bit different. True, I was up by 5 because I just couldn’t get comfortable anymore but it was more than that. It was the feeling of being on the brink of something exciting and wonderful yet slightly scary and completely surreal. As I laid awake in the wee hours of the morning the question of Are we ready? kept dancing through my mind.

I went through all the lists and prep we’ve been doing for the past 39 weeks…

Are we ready for Nana and Papa to watch Makenzie for a few days – yes.

Are we ready to spend a few days in the hospital – yes.

Are we ready to bring home a newborn, swaddle him up and rock him to sleep – heck yes.

But are we ready to be parents of two kids – I just don’t know.

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By the time the sun came up the toddler Pandora station was blasting in the kitchen while my favorite little buddy was hard at work mixing pancake batter, yet I was still questioning our readiness.

Are we really ready for sleepless nights, endless diaper changes and countless cleanings of bottles?

Are we ready to teach two kids about all the good in the world yet make sure they can protect themselves from the not-so-good?

Are we able and ready to give them really amazing childhoods?

Chef Makenzie

Within 10 minutes I had my answer. My little chef had moved to her kitchen seat and was playing the alphabet game on her tablet when everything got crazy. A tidal wave of spilled milk on her new toy prompted an unforeseen meltdown. As I cleaned up her milk and sopped up her tears, the oven buzzer beeped reminding me that the sausage was overly done and that the pancakes needed flipped.

Just like that I went from Rockstar Mom with a burning desire to make a Sunday morning memory to a Rotten Mom with a burning skillet of pancakes. Just like that the entire day shifted. And just like that I realized that maybe being ready only means being ready to expect the unexpected.

Maybe being ready means knowing that we can’t foresee all the tears, falls and broken toys. Maybe being ready means being okay with the fact that we can’t prevent the long nights, the life lessons and the broken hearts. And maybe being ready means that despite all we do to be great parents to our kids, it’s inevitable that some morning will include spilled milk, tears and burnt pancakes.

Luckily it just took a few paper towels and a fresh batch of pancakes and all was good again in the world. Later today I found this quote and I’m starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, we are ready to be parents of two kids. It might require a few extra paper towels and an extra box of tissues on occasion but I think that the next week or so will bring more joy than we could have ever imagined.

And on a side note… If you’re listening little guy, come on out! We want to meet you and show you the world. Life is going to be unexpected and messy at times but we’re here to help you through it. You just show up and we’ll do the rest. We can’t wait for you to join in on the fun!

XOXO

Mom & Dad

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Baby McGee 2, Makenzie Ruth, Parenting Humor, The Story of Us

38 weeks!

January 4, 2015 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

Hello 38 weeks!

We’re here… the home stretch, the victory lap, the land of hurry up and wait. We’ve had lots of calls and texts asking for updates so here they are:

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Are we ready? (the million dollar question) – Yes…. No… Maybe… Is anyone ever really ready to have a baby? I’m not sure, but we’re excited! Our biggest area of concern is how Makenzie will adjust and where she will go when he’s born. Ideally my parents will be in town during the delivery. If not, we have the Makenzie Dream Team, which includes family friends who are all willing to watch our girl in case we have to head to the hospital at 2 am. We are SO grateful for our wonderful sitter, friends and neighbors who have agreed to be on call.

Nursery – We’re hanging pictures tomorrow (Denny, don’t forget to charge your screw gun) and then I think we’ll be good to go. Our little guy will be living in a sports-themed room. Pictures coming soon!

Here are the pictures we will be hanging tomorrow, now they are matted & framed.

Name – Being the cool parents we are, we’ve decided to have a family huddle when he arrives and get his input. Then when he’s 16 and tells us about how mean and unfair we are as parents we can remind him that we’ve been open for input from day one.

The To Do List – It’s getting smaller. Mainly I have a lot of work projects to tie up before I go on leave. I’ve been trying like crazy to get everything done but I’m not there yet. Ideally I’ll be able to work at least one more full week to feel good about being away for 3 months. Also, I’m desperately hoping for a pedicure before I head to the delivery room. Fingers crossed I can squeeze in an hour of pampering!

How I’m feeling – I dare you to ask a hormonal mom-to-be how she’s feeling. You’ll probably get a different answer every time. Slightly puffy and pretty tired, but overall I’m thankful to be feeling good! The prior concern about a partial previa has resolved – yay! – so we don’t need to plan for a C-section either.

Below is bump view from a few days ago. I didn’t feel too huge until Thursday when I spent 10 minutes looking for Makenzie’s sock that I had 11 minutes prior, and I then found it stuck between my boobs and bump. Yikes!

Missing: My Feet. Last seen in late fall 2014.

Cringe-worthy moments: Adults say the darnedest things… In the past 2 weeks I heard a Wow are you having twins comment, and I also heard a How did you even fit through the door comment. I’ve had a couple of really awkward belly rubs and also a request from a man I don’t know too well to be part of the birth because delivering a baby is on his bucket list. Eek, cringe!

And finally, WHEN?!? – We’re officially due the 17th but it seems like this little guy is pretty cozy. Our Dr thinks we have at least one full week to go but we all know who’s really in charge. Since we want my parents to be here when he’s born, our Doctor will let us pick an induction date at our Friday appointment.

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We promise to keep the updates coming once this little guy decides he’s ready to arrive. Thanks for all your support and excitement for our new addition. We’re hoping to have some good news soon, stay tuned!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Baby McGee 2, Pregnancy Humor

Home for the Holidays

December 27, 2014 by erinqmcgee · 1 Comment

An entire month has passed since I’ve blogged. I know, I’ve missed you too!

Happy December. Happy St. Nick’s Day. Happy Hanukkuh. Merry Christmas. And what the heck, I may as well go ahead and say Happy New Year!

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It has been a whirlwind month. We’ve been getting ready for our little addition (nursery pics coming soon), we’ve been decking the halls, now we’ve been undecking the halls, we’ve been visiting Santa, but the one thing we haven’t been doing is traveling. Given our upcoming due date we decided to spend this year at home. We were Home for the Holidays and it was quite lovely.

Being home for the holidays meant that Denny and I were responsible to make not only the turkey but also the memories for Makenzie, and that in itself, is pretty cool about being an adult. The more we pumped up the holidays, the more excited Makenzie became.

Being home for the holidays meant that Makenzie was able to sleep in her own bed on Christmas Eve. It meant we were able to enjoy our own Christmas tree and Makenzie was able to run down our own stairs to see if Santa made a visit. It meant that we were able to relax as a family on Christmas Day… no running around, no driving and no time constraints. It was very relaxing and it was very special. We missed seeing many of your favorite people in Ohio and Pa., but we made up for it with lots of holiday fun and lots of visitors.

Here’s how we filled our non-travel December…

:: Having brunch with Santa at the Zoo ::

Brunch was delicious and the zoo was fun, but meeting Santa was not in the cards for Makenzie. She was really excited while we waited in line but when the time came to get close to him, she got nervous. This was as close as we could get. But in reality I’m quite thrilled that she didn’t have interest to sit on a random man’s lap. If this continues until she’s about 35, we’ll be all set!

Keeping her distance.

:: Visit from Mamaw and PapPap ::

A few days before Santa visited, we had a visit from Denny’s parents and our nephew Connor. We checked out the holiday light and the Christmas Village at the fairground. It was so cute! Lots of festive activities including crafts, a holiday train, holiday singers and of course Mr & Mrs. Claus. Connor was brave enough to sit on Santa’s lap, but Makenzie would only sit on Mrs. Claus’ lap. We stayed out way past the kids’ bedtime and we had fun hanging out in SantaLand.

McGee selfie!

The sweetest Mrs. Claus ever!

Cousin picture! Did I forget to mention that as an early Christmas gift Makenzie slipped in the tub and ended up with a black eye? She was fine after about 5 minutes but my mom guilt has yet to leave from letting this happen. Ugh!

:: Christmas Eve Fun ::

We went to a candlelight Christmas Eve service which was beautiful although we opted out of the candle light part. Flames and toddlers… c’mon, tell me I’m not the only Mom who sees nothing good coming from that.

All dressed up for church!

We (Aka Makenzie) took a bath, put on Santa jammies and wrote the jolly old guy a note. Quite adorable if you ask me.

Dear Santa…

And we left the note write by the fireplace along with a cupcake for Santa and some cheese for the reindeer. Note to self, don’t forget to buy carrots next year at this time of year. Luckily Makenzie didn’t seem to notice.

Twas the night before Christmas…

Opening gifts on Christmas morning! Turns out those Crayola tub crayons she’s opening were an awful gift because it took about an hour to clean them off the tub. Next year we’ll just tell Santa to bring a drum set instead.

:: Visit from Nana and Papa ::

We kept the welcome mat rolled out all month and the day after Christmas Nana and Papa drove up for a visit.

For me?!? Presents for me?!?

Nothing made Makenzie happier than the singing Elsa doll from Nana & Papa!

That’s a happy little girl. 🙂

Reading with Papa.

:: Gingerbread house decorating ::

Teamwork!

:: And a trip to Kelkenberg Farms ::

This was one of my favorite activities of the month! We went to a local farm and spent hours seeing the animals, walking around and enjoying a sleigh ride aka hayride. Maybe next year the weather will be cold enough for a sleigh ride but luckily we had a great time either way.

Family photo… could it be our last picture as a family of 3?!

Enjoying another day with Nana and Papa!

Brushing the pony!

The strong horses who pulled us on a ride, pregnancy weight & all! I felt kind of bad for all the chocolate I consumed leading up to this.

:: And lastly, using her new presents from Santa ::

Makenzie must have been a very good girl this year because she received lots of fun gifts. Here is the first (and last) picture of her loving her Crayola crayons. Turns out they don’t clean up as easily as advertised but she had quite a fun tubby time.

Creative girl or future graffiti artist?

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We’re looking forward to all that 2015 will bring including a snuggly baby boy. His arrival countdown is at 18 days, and I promise I’ll have more updates about him shortly. Wishing you a wonderful 2015!

See you soon,

Erin

xoxo

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Holidays, Makenzie Ruth

Welcome to Doubtville!

November 30, 2014 by erinqmcgee · 1 Comment

:: Greetings from Doubtville, USA! ::

Population: Every parent in America… err, the entire world.

I write this as my daughter naps on the floor next to her Minnie Mouse bed. The same Minnie Mouse bed that she loved just a mere two weeks ago but now despises. I write this after a 30-minute battle which involved tears and running out of her room multiple times before she finally fell asleep after I laid down next to her (also on the floor).

Here we are again… smack dab in the middle of Doubtville. Denny and I visit here often so we should be familiar with all the uncertainty that comes when we enter city limits, but every single visit reminds us of how humbling it is to be a parent.

In life we regularly face challenges. It starts at birth and lasts until our very last breath. Whether it’s how to tie our shoes, how to solve algebraic equations, how and when to buy a house, or how to be an adult, the questions don’t stop. But with kids, it seems more challenging because the stakes are a lot higher.

In reality I know that Makenzie won’t go to college sleeping on the floor next to her Minnie Mouse bed, but right now I am questioning every little thing that has happened that led us from the Goes to bed like Champion every night Route to the Abandoned Highway of Terrible Bed and Nap times. Was is the lack of schedule from the snow storm, the traveling due to the holidays, the removal of the crib from her room, the new knowledge of how to open the door, a combination of all of the above, or perhaps, none of the above.

We don’t know how we got here, so now we are trying desperately how to find the fastest road out of Doubtville. Do we travel east past the Cry it out Canyon, stay south on the Sleep next to her skyway, or just continue down the path of Bad Parent Boulevard and hope it gets us back on the Sleep Superhighway? There’s just not a clear pathway.

I’m sure we’ll be back on track in no time, but until then I’ll settle for a roadside restaurant as long as it serves hot coffee. I think the only answer is that we stay the course, we try to be patient and we do it all with love and patience. After all, our goal as parents is to be the best and most supportive tour guides we can be, even if we don’t have a clue what the journey will entail.

Safe travels to you. Perhaps we’ll see you around the Doubtville Cafe. The coffee is good, but the company is amazing!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Adventures in Parenthood, Makenzie Ruth, My View on Life

The truth behind Mother Nature’s cold front

November 22, 2014 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

:: Buffalo, NY ::

Many of you are cringing right now thinking about the snow and blustery weather. I did the same thing about 9 years ago. That was before I moved here. I picked up and moved to the 716 area code because of a boy I loved. And fortunately that move turned out to be a good thing because that boy I love is now my husband I love. But enough of the mushy stuff, let me tell you about my city.

During our eight years here in Buffalo, we’ve come to call this town home. Buffalo, NY is a big city with an even bigger heart. Buffalo is a place where you celebrate when the skyline has a new crane (or five) because it means new opportunities and new jobs. Buffalo is a place where the owner of your favorite pizza not only knows your favorite toppings but also knows your daughter’s name. Buffalo is a place where you can rely on your neighbors as if they’re family. Buffalo is a place that is nice to call home.

Buffalo is also a place that gets some occasional snow and blustery weather. Okay, by occasional snow I mean a LOT of snow. In fact, this week we’ve made headlines because of the 84″ inches that fell in the suburbs of the city. One of the suburbs hit hardest is the place that we call home… cute little Lancaster, NY.

Lots of the white stuff!

Lancaster, NY, a good place to call home.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for your texts and messages but we’re doing okay. In fact we’re doing better than okay.

There’s no doubt that this storm has caused some very serious situations, but overall, this cold has made life quite warm and cozy. Here is how this natural disaster has affected our little family… We’ve had some unexpected weekdays of not setting our alarms. We’ve had lots of games of hide n seek. We’ve had story time, nap time and bed time together. We’ve had fun times with our neighbors. Sure, we’ve been trying to balance two careers from the confines of our house, and yes, we’ll probably have some long workdays to compensate for this BUT it’s hard to be upset with an unexpected little chance to just slow down and be with your family.

In this stressful world we live in, a four-day staycation rarely happens. Aside from some shoveling of snow, some juggling of schedules and some thawing of food from our freezer, we’ve been very grateful to make some memories that could have otherwise been lost in the shuffle.

Some snow day crafting

Perhaps Mother Nature isn’t really as cruel as she seems. She’s a mom after all, and it turns out that Moms are pretty smart ladies. And after this week I’m fairly certain that behind Mother Nature’s cold front is a warm heart.

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: About Mommy McBlog, Buffalo, Holidays, NY, The Story of Us

Bumpdate – Thirty, flirty & thriving!

November 8, 2014 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

Thirty weeks… Whoa!!
Thank you Jennifer Garner for the brilliance of ’13 Going on 30′ to help me come up with a crafty little blog title… but I don’t exactly fit that description.

Does this blogger lady think she’s flirty and thriving?!? Not even close.

More like:
Thirty, burpy and waddling?
Or perhaps
Thirty, sleepy and swelling?

You get the point. Somehow we’ve reached the 75% mark with this pregnancy. I have been terrible with bumpdates, so now is a great time to share about this little guy who is close to joining our family:

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Nursery – It’s going to be a golf/sports theme and it’s in process. And by in process I mean that I put a few hangers in the closet. All we need to do now is remove the current furniture, add a crib, add a dresser, fill the closet with some blue clothes, figure out some wall decorations, and a add sweet baby boy. Bam, Easy peasy!

Names – The name game is as far along as the nursery. But even if we had a name we want to meet him first and make sure he likes it. We try to be considerate parents.

Big Sis – Makenzie is already gearing up to be my little helper! She loves rubbing my belly while yelling Hi Baby. And she loves reading the I’m a Big Sister book every night before bed too. We think that’s a good sign!

How I’m feeling – Overall good. We’re getting really excited to meet this sweet boy! This pregnancy is a much harder pregnancy than with Makenzie but I think it’s because we’re busy with an active Big Sis to be. The little guy is kicking a lot and moving around like a little wild man. Our biggest concern right now is that I have a partial previa. I’m trying to take it easy to avoid the terrifying word of bedrest, but it’s challenging to do with a busy little girl. There’s still time for this to correct itself, otherwise we’ll be headed for a c-section around 39 weeks. We’ll be fine however he arrives as long as he stays healthy. Keep your fingers and toes crossed!

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Denny and I aren’t sure how we’ve arrived at the 30 week mark, but we’re really excited to meet our son! The next ten weeks include a huge To Do List along with the fun of the holidays but luckily we work well under pressure. The countdown is on to meet Daddy’s little caddy. Game on!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Adventures in Parenthood, Baby McGee 2

InstaYear!

November 3, 2014 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

Makenzie just turned TWO (well it’s more like 4 weeks ago) but yet it feels like she is more independent than ever. In the past few weeks she’s been talking more, helping more and reminding us how quickly she is growing up!

But I just couldn’t miss this chance to do a recap of how much has happened in 12 (okay 13) months since she had her last Birthday cake.

Where did the time go? October 2013 – Happy 1st Birthday Makenzie! She looks like such a baby.

I’m doing this partly because the blog is as close as my kiddos will get to a baby book, but mostly because time goes so quickly that I feel like it is important to document each passing milestone. This year has mostly good, some not-so-good, but all filled with our best intentions to have fun as a family.

With a little help from one of my favorite apps, I pulled a dozen of my favorite pictures. We’ll call this post the InstaYear!

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October 2013

:: Birthday fun :: Running everywhere! :: Final days of warm weather & playing outside :: Peanut allergy :: Pumpkin picking :: Happy & healthy one-year check up and weighing 21 pounds :: Trick-or-treating as a little bumblebee ::

Getting ready to buzzzzz around the neighborhood

November 2013

:: First classes at Rolly Pollies :: First visit to ER for a bump on head :: First UGG boots (knock-offs of course) :: Turkey Day spent in Pittsburgh feeling thankful for fun cousins, awesome grandparents, semi-cool parents & a happy life :: Favorite toys include legos & the iPad :: First trip to Light up Lancaster ::

Makenzie & Cousin Connor!

December 2013

:: First haircut :: New found love for running around the house naked :: 2nd visit to meet Santa Claus :: Mommy’s little helper for everything Christmas – decorating, shopping & making treats :: A Christmas morning spent with Ryan & Jack (Santa listened when we reminded him we would be in Ohio) :: A new trike from Santa :: Baby’s first shopping cart from Nana & Papa :: A new battery-powered car from Mamaw & PapPap :: A rockin’ New Year’s Eve spent on Signal Drive (until about 8:15) :: Welcome 2014! ::

Being a good girl for Santa

January 2014

:: First snow day :: Frst trip down big slide at Rollie Pollies by herself :: Favorite game includes riding on Daddy’s shoulders and running around family room :: Found her belly button :: A new love of coloring :: Lots of fun play dates ::

Snow Day hide & seek

February 2014

:: Favorite places include the Erie Kid’s Museum and Explore & More Museum in Buffalo :: Winter sickness strikes :: First dentist trip & first meltdown at a dentist’s office :: First trip to airport to greet Daddy after his week away :: New pink shoes & pink sippy cup from the Valentine Fairy :: Favorite foods are chili and ice cream (not together) ::

When dads away, the girls will play!

March 2014

:: Discovered a love of bathtime bubbles :: Favorite book is ShoeLaLa :: Another snow day, which included an indoor picnic :: A trip to Ohio to celebrate cousin Jack’s 1st Birthday :: A trip to Frank’s Bar for St. Patty’s Day (don’t worry she drank O’Doul’s) ::

Belly up to the bar for some green drinks on St. Patty’s Day!

April 2014

:: First music class :: A terrifying trip to see the Easter Bunny :: A not so scary Easter morning :: Lots of Easter egg hunts :: First zoo trip for the season :: A new found obsession with the Chicken Dance, which has continued to this day :: Happiness with the warm weather :: A love of outside bubbles :: Enough hair for pigtails ::

Loving the Easter egg hunt

May 2014

:: Big news on Mother’s Day weekend… Big Sis!! :: Trip to Ohio to celebrate cousin Ryan’s 3rd Birthday :: A fun Memorial Day weekend in Canada :: Awesome neighborhood picnic :: Favorite activity includes riding the swings at the playground ::

Makenzie & Ryan checking out the ducks while in Canada

June 2014

:: Swim time in the neighbor’s pool :: Lots of trips to the playground and loving the swings :: Roadtrip to PA :: Favorite food is guacamole :: First trip around the block on her trike (with help from Dad) :: Loves chalk ::

Summer baby

July 2014

:: Waving the flag to say Happy Birthday America! :: Loving the beep beep cars at Fantasy Island :: Trip to Strong Museum of Play :: Helper for Auntie Sara at her baby shower :: Loves the iPad and all technology :: Officially told the world that she’s going to be a Big Sis ::

Proud little American

August 2014

:: Hot summer days spent in the baby pool :: Family staycation :: Fun weekend with Daddy while Mom spent first weekend away with her cousins in NYC :: Trip to Sunset Bay Beach :: Erie County Fair :: Loves Olcott Beach Carousel Park :: Play dates & visits from friends :: Transition to a big girl bed :: Favorite book is Pigs in Hiding ::

SPLASH!

September 2014

:: First pair of tap shoes :: Loves to help Mom in the kitchen :: Lots of learning – Kenzie can count to 10 and recognize most of her letters :: Excited to be TWO :: Favorite color is purple :: Fall family photos

A little window shopping with Minnie

October 2014

:: Hello TWO!! :: Big sister-to-be of a Baby BOY :: First tap class :: Great birthday party! :: Pumpkin farm trips :: Trick or treating as Minnie Mouse :: Ready to take on the world as a Big Girl! ::

Make a Wish!

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Makenzie might be TWO but it was a pretty ONEderful year leading up to it. Looking forward to the fun the next twelve months will bring!

Filed Under: Super Women, Uncategorized · Tagged With: Birthdays, Makenzie Ruth, Month by month

Game Seven

October 30, 2014 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

Game Seven… two words that make any sports fan, or perhaps I should say, anyone with a pulse, feel the excitement of what is about to happen. Game seven is the ultimate Go Big or Go Home. Game seven means putting it all out there. Game Seven means a once in a lifetime chance to make a dream come true. Game Seven… it’s pretty cool.

It’s pretty cool if you are a Major League Baseball player about to make a childhood dream come true. If you are that Major League baseball player, it’s okay to put massive pressure on yourself. If you are that Major League baseball player, it’s okay to put every single ounce of your being out there. If you are that Major League baseball player it’s okay to compare yourself to others. If you are that Major League baseball player it’s okay to wallow over defeat, and celebrate if victory comes your way.

But if you are not that Major League baseball player… if you are just a Mom (and believe me I am not minimizing Moms by saying “Just a”)… then it’s time we quit playing like it’s game seven.

Somehow between the picturesque Pinterest wreaths, the #noFilter Instagram shots we see of the happy families relishing their third trip of the year to DisneyWorld, and the photos we all post on Facebook of the perfect parties, the hand-sewn costumes, the amazing table set-up and the brand new 5-bedroom houses in the burbs, the game of Mommy-ing has started to feel like a lot of Game Sevens.

I know that I’m just as guilty as everyone else of posting the highlight reel of our life, but I think it’s causing us all to strike out. Just today I had a conversation with another Mom about how hard it is to stay afloat as a working mom, let alone have time to select and carve pumpkins, make treat bags for daycare and intricately design fall foliage craft projects for the grandparents. C’mon now! I’m betting that the only Moms who can accomplish this HAVE to be taking some type of performance-enhancing drugs (can we please get some random drug testing on that perky blond Mom from Kindercare?)

I bet that more often than not many of us just get by. All while feeling like we’re never enough… never enough of a Mom, never enough of an employee, never enough of a wife, and never enough of a You. And if you feel that way, it is okay! In fact I think it’s pretty darn normal.

Mommy-ing is not an easy career. Some days we get lucky and hit a home run, but most days it’s hard work. There’s no glamour, no relief pitchers, and no amount of Icy Hot to make up for the challenges and learning that accompanies raising little leaguers.

So for tonight… get your game face on! Cheer for the Giants or the Royals. Get swept of in the excitement and the drama that accompanies the rare Game Seven of the Fall Classic.

But tomorrow… stop looking at the score board, stop comparing yourself to the other team, and start reminding yourself why you wanted to be drafted into the Mom Leagues to begin with. Mommy-ing is not about a once-in-a-lifetime win, mommy-ing is about all the experiences you and your kiddos get along the way. So practice hard, learn from the losses and celebrate the little wins. I’m still a rookie myself, but I’m betting that your little sluggers could care less about the Moms a few benches over, they’re just glad to be a part of YOUR team.

Now Play Ball!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: My View on Life, Random Ridiculousness

It’s A….

October 7, 2014 by erinqmcgee · Leave a Comment

Blog post about a really memorable day!!!!

………………………………………

Just like that…

we have a TWO year old

AND

we’re having a BOY!

Needless to say, Makenzie’s Birthday was a SPECIAL day.

Saturday, October 4th was Makenzie’s official Birthday AND 1st tap class day, party day and gender reveal day. Phew, I still need a nap from all the fun.

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Wake up Birthday Girl!

Our day started bright and early and included bagels, decorations and some presents.

Sleepy head Birthday girl

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After breakfast Makenzie and I headed to her very first tap class! It’s a Mommy & Me class at a local dance center. She was shy in the beginning but warmed up in no time. This weekend was her third lesson and she’s really starting to get it. It’s amazing to watch her follow instructions so well. Stay tuned for June when we’re both in the recital (luckily the moms only have a small role). We dress in all black to hide from the spotlight.

Those leggies!!

Radio City Rockettes, here she comes!

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Then came the party fun!!

We made it a Sweet Shop theme.

Our little sweetie is turning Two,

celebrate as we find out if her sibling will be Pink or Blue!

It wasn’t exactly Pinterest perfect but overall I think it turned out cute.

The sweet shop. I swear it was for the kids and not for my pregnant self.

Party decos!

Aaaaaand the most important gift of the day. 🙂

Dad Q got crafty with the pumpkins to make sure they were carved appropriately.

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Then came cake time AND reveal time!

Yum!

She was excited and ready to go!

Make a Wish Makenzie!!

Aaaaaaaaand a look into her first present revealed that…

Makenzie will be getting a BROTHER!!!!!!!!

She was clearly very excited.

Denny and I both expected to see Pink in the box so it was an incredibly exciting and emotional moment for us! We can’t wait to see Makenzie love on her little brother. It’s going to be a fun experience to bring a little boy into this world. I’m sure we’ll get peed on plenty of times but we know this little guy will be the perfect way to complete our family.

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The rest of the day flew by and we loved spending time with some of our favorite people!

Cousin Connor with Kenzie and Jack Jack

Kenzie loves PapPap

And we ended the day with some late night silliness… Jazz Hands for a little BOY!!

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A HUGE Thank You to everyone who came over to make Makenzie’s Birthday really special!! It’s going to be a fun & blue-filled year!

And to Makenzie, thank you for sharing your Birthday excitement with your brother. I still can’t believe you are TWO (even though you’ve been telling people you are two for months now). I know you’re going to be a great Big Sis! Please don’t put make-up on our brother and we’ll make sure he doesn’t try to date your friends.

Love you to the moon & back Birthday girl!

xoxo,

Mom

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: Baby McGee 2, Birthdays, ITSA Party, Makenzie Ruth, The Story of Us

The Sweet Things in Life

Baby prep and burnt pancakes

38 weeks!

Home for the Holidays