It’s A… Watermelon!!

September 25, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Today I got my weekly e-mail from The Bump.com and it told me that our little girl is the size of a…. Watermelon!

Yep, she’s That big!  (Enter profuse sweating & heart palpitations)

O-U-C-H!

But on the bright side, we made it to 39 WEEKS!

Crazy, right?  How did that happen, and who the heck approved our License to be parents?  I sure hope we are ready!

I still feel pretty good and we are quite excited and a little nervous & anxious.  Our Doctor’s appointment yesterday revealed that our little girl is quite cozy, but Dr. B said that doesn’t mean anything.  Our little watermelon is in complete control and can make her appearance at any time.

SO just in case we don’t make it to 40 weeks, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane from seedling to watermelon, courtesy of Picky Sticky:

8 Weeks, and Hey I still have a waist!

12 Weeks and Safe Zone! Hooray!

16 Weeks… and I remember thinking I had a bump then.

20 Weeks, Halfway there!

24 Weeks, and counting!

28 Weeks aka Where’s Waldo?

32 Weeks

36 Weeks, one month to go!

There you have it… I’m no gardener, but our little watermelon sure has managed to thrive!  We are seven days away from her official due date (which means nothing to 95% of babies) but we’ll keep you posted once she picks her birthday.

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Have a great week!

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Pictures of the Week *What’s She Going to Look Like?*

September 23, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Our only hope is to have a healthy baby Beanette!  But since we’ve been waiting almost 39 weeks (or 9 years, depending on when you start counting) for this little addition to our family, it’s hard not to think about the other fun stuff.

::  What she will look like?  ::

::  How will she act?  ::

::  What hobbies will she have?  ::

::  Which parent will she be more likely to take after?  ::

SO many fun questions!  We can’t wait to see her and learn all about her personality.

I think it’s normal for most parents to hope that their children get the best of both of them.  So here is what we are hoping (but of course we will love her no matter what):

Denny’s nose… my ears… Denny’s pretty blue eyes…. my thumbs (they are in limited quantity in the Q family)… Denny’s calves and ankles… my patience… Denny’s athletic ability (golf & baseball mainly)… my writing ability… Denny’s Words with Friends ability (if that is even around when she gets her first phone)… my love of education (aka I’m a geek)

We also hope that she is not allergic to cats and we really truly hope she has a decent sense of humor.  If she doesn’t have a sense of humor she is going to really think her parents are L-A-M-E and her teenage years are going to be incredibly rough for all of us!

Here are some pictures of Denny and I through the years.   Take a look at what she’s working with…

LOVE this picture of Denny as a baby!!!

Me as a baby (eek!) sporting an infant-sized wifebeater and playing with a scary-looking reindeer

Denny looking super cute and very happy!

Me, and Yes I still make this face when I get caught in the Cheerios box

Denny & Scott, two cute Steelers fans!!

Me hanging out on the tire swing in my stylish matching sweat suit (and yes I have the same haircut as Scott – see above)

Right now you could be thinking, Whoa Slim Pickins for this little girl, or perhaps you are thinking Aww, she’s going to be cute!  No matter how she looks, we know she is going to be the World’s Cutest, Most Lovable Beanette and we will love her to pieces!

Now we just have to keep waiting for her big arrival!  Nine Days and Counting!

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Politics, Schmolitics

September 22, 2012 by · 1 Comment

I realize that we are knee-deep into an election year but the political games and “He said, She Said” is already feeling way overdone!   I can’t be alone on this, right?

Unemployment, tax hikes, politics, schmolitics… when does it end?

Personally I’ve had a very good four years (I’m not saying this to promote one candidate over the other) but it’s the truth.  Marriage, grad school, first house and now a soon-to-be arriving baby girl.  Heck Yes, I’ll vote for this plan again.

In order to give back to our country and lighten-up the political shenanigans, Denny and I felt that we should try to be good citizens and improve our little area of the world.  And what better catalyst to do this than the impending arrival of a new baby girl.

Without further adieu, we are pleased to announce the following

McGee Stimulus Plan

  • Retail Support– Over the past 38 and a half weeks we have opted to prioritize our local economy and make a conscious effort to sustain jobs in all the local baby stores.  It was tough, but someone had to do it.  Target, Carter’s, Babies R Us, various Etsy vendors… it’s not that we “wanted ” to buy onesies, headbands, leg warmers, bouncers and crib decorations in every shade of pink, lavender and magenta but we did it to ensure you had a job to come to daily.  Yes, you are Welcome!
  • Local Farmer Support – We know how tough it is to be a dairy farmer (well we don’t really know, but who’s fact checking this blog anyway?) and we wanted to make sure all the local cows felt loved and appreciated.  Therefore, we have done our best to enjoy ice cream on a regular basis.  It was another challenging initiative but we managed to complete it and help all the Bessies of the world feel validated in their milk  productive.

Moo!

  • Job creation – Unemployment, what?!?  Not with Beanette on the way!  Not only have we likely created jobs with our 100 trips to Babies R Us, but we also created job security for the sweatshops that pump out Circo crib sheets, hooded towels, pink onesies, booties, burp cloths and on and on.  In addition, we are have increased the McGee payroll.  After some tough interviews that included essays, multiple personality tests and a tap dance competition, we are pleased to announced the following hires:

 **Social Media Chair during Beanette’s arrival – Melissa Q Bixler!**

Melissa, aka Beanette’s Aunt, brings a wealth of knowledge to the position including 5+ years on Facebook and substantial knowledge of the ins and outs of delivery after she survived the marathon birth of her adorable son Ryan!

**Childcare Provider  – Doodlebugs!**

Yep, we have to pay the bills somehow so once Beanette arrives I’ll eventually be headed back to the office.  Lexi is not quite prepared for full-time baby-sitter just yet so we had to add daycare to the list of “Places Beanette is allowed to go.”

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So there you have it!  Our take on political craziness and our attempt to stimulate the economy.  If you are employed in the toddler tap shoe industry, the prom dress industry or the wedding gown industry, we will work to stimulate your industry in the upcoming phases of the McGee Stimulus Plans.  Stay tuned!

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Picture of the Week *Attempting to be a Crafty Little Mama*

September 16, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

This week’s Picture of the Week is actually my crafty project from a few weekends ago…

a no-sew crib skirt!

Turns out crib skirts are quite difficult to find unless you buy an entire bedding set, and those are not necessary.  So after much searching in stores and online, Melissa sent me a link for how to “Make” a crib skirt.  Score!!  And let’s be real… anyone who has ever known a type-A prego mama knows that if you send her an idea (especially while she is nesting) the idea will turn into a finished product faster than Kim Kardashian can turn a marriage into a break-up.

So if you are interested in making a crib skirt for your little Beanette, here’s all it takes (items can easily be bought for about $18-$20):

  • Fabric that can be washed & ironed (look for the 60% off one piece of fabric coupon from JoAnn’s to save some pennies)
  • Fabric scissors
  • A tape measure or yard stick
  • A packet of Witchery stitchery
  • An iron
  • A few velcro squares
  • Some decals if you want to jazz up the skirt
  • A bit of patience is helpful too!

I found a packet of these girly decals for $1.99!

And here’s how to do it:

  • Measure the length and width of the crib and the distance from the mattress to the floor (do this prior to buying fabric)
  • Cut the fabric into 3 pieces – one in front, and one on either side (no need for a piece on the back if the crib is against a wall)
  • Iron along the bottom using the Witchery stitchery to hold in the seam
  • Then place velcro square to the back of each piece of fabric and the matching piece on the bottom the crib
  • Velcro the crib skirt to the crib, stand back and check out what a great Mom you are!

View from above while attaching the crib skirt

View before adding mattress back in the crib

Finished product!!

Happy Crafting

and

Have a great Week!!

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The Calm Before the Storm

September 15, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

What. A. Week!

I’ve been trying to prep for the impending arrival of our little girl and I’ve been trying to prep for 3 months away from the office.  Both are keeping me quite busy.  Aside from that we had a short (and fun) visit from my parents this weekend.   And we’ve been trying to find time to clean, cook and do laundry (my darn housekeeper never shows up!).  In addition from the everyday life, here’s a quick update of where we are.

37 Weeks and 5 days… 

That’s where we are!

Smack dab in the middle of She can arrive at any minute-ville!  Woah!!

:: PHYSICALLY ::

I feel great !  I’m pretty big and I’m getting some crazy restless legs at night, but overall I feel great.  I’m a big believer of mind over matter right now.  In November when we lost our first pregnancy I remember thinking, “How can anyone ever complain about being lucky enough to be pregnant?”  And that is the thought I have everyday.  When I feel tired and puffy, I just think about how Incredibly Lucky I am to be tired and puffy.  It’s not something that everyone is lucky enough to experience and we are 37.5 weeks into it.  It’s pretty cool.

:: EMOTIONALLY ::

Anxious. Excited. Disbelief. Nervous. Happy. Blessed.  Scared.  SURREAL!

There are just not words to describe what we feel right now.  We are aware that something big, huge, life-changing is about to happen, but it is hard to wrap our minds around it.

Some days all I can think about is holding that sweet little girl.  Some days all I can think about is how or if I will ever get all my work done in time to be away for 3 months, and Some days I think a Whoa, I sure hope we can handle this.

So essentially it’s the calm before the storm.  We’re working… we are waiting… we are wondering.  We’ll keep you posted when the Beanette picks her Birthday.

Until then, have a great weekend!  🙂

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Picture of the Week *Beanette’s Nursery*

September 9, 2012 by · 3 Comments

Our Baby Girl has a home!!

This has been one of the most fun projects, and after months of work (if you can even call it that), we’re super excited to share Beanette’s Home with our friends & family!  

You are welcome to see the real thing, but in the meantime, here is a picture slideshow of it. 

We just hope she loves it as much as we do!

Click Here to see it… Enjoy!

 

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The Birthing Playlist ~What NOT to have on your IPod~

September 6, 2012 by · 5 Comments

The “Oh my God We’re about to be Parents To Do List” is getting shorter!  Recently Denny and I put a check mark next to the Create an IPod list to be played in the birthing room item.

It seemed simple enough, but it turns out we had more fun selecting songs that should Not be allowed versus selecting songs appropriate for 26 hours of excruciating pain.  So we have  instead created…

The Top 10 Songs NOT to Play in the Birthroom:

10.  I Wanna Be Sedated  –  Chances are that if you want to be sedated the anesthesiologist has already been paged, don’t let the Ramones remind you of how long you’ve been waiting.

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9.  Sexy and I know it  –  Hospital gowns, swollen feet, sweaty hair… if that makes you feel sexy then you deserve an award Mama!

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8.  Baby Got Back  –  Playing this song might just make your little one decide to show off her itty bitty waist and put her round thing in your face, and you probably don’t want to have to deal with a breach situation.  Save this tune for your reunion with your college girlfriends!

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7.  Baby  – Pretty much everyone knows why you are in the birthing room, no need for Justin Beiber to be Captain Obvious and remind you of whats happening.  Plus do you really want the first noise your baby hears outside the womb to be the voice of a teenager that wears skinny jeans?  Highly doubtful!

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6.  It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere –It probably is five o’clock somewhere but the last thing you need to do is to be watching the clock, especially if you’ve been in labor since it was 2 AM somewhere a day or two ago.  But on a bright note, you might only be a few days away from someone pouring you something Tall and Strong for the first time in 40 weeks.  Cheers!

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5.  Born to be Wild  – Kids these days are wild enough…have you seen Here Comes Honey Boo Boo??  Don’t give your future daughter or son any more ideas.

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4.  Everybody Hurts –  If you are the one in labor, don’t let anyone else tell you that they feel your pain, let alone REM.  Odds are, you are the only one in the room understanding how much you hurt.  So skip this song and focus on breathing through those contractions.

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3.  You Shook Me All Night Long  –  Yep, you did… about 9 months ago.  But thinking back to that night is clearly inappropriate for a serene birth setting.

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2.  Push It – I’d advise listening to the nurse tell you when and how to push, not Salt N Pepa.

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1.  Like a Virgin  — Sorry girlfriend, but that ship has sailed… and you are not on it.  Perhaps Madge should be filling your room with Like A Prayer.  You’ll Like a Prayer, especially if you don’t Like an Epidural.

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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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TWO Picky Stickys To Go!

September 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

It’s September! 

We are officially one month and one day away from our Beanette’s due date!

W-O-A-H!!!!!!!

I have known Beanette’s due date since January but I don’t think I realized just how close we are to meeting her until I noticed this morning that we only have two Picky Stickys to go!  What are Picky Stickys you ask?  The best baby gift ever… check out their Website to see for yourself.  And they have Mom stickers to track how far along you are.  That’s what I’ve been using since January.  And we are down to just two stickers…

Just two stickers (one which we will use on Tuesday)!   Wow!   But I have a little confession.. I didn’t buy the stickers in January when I found out we were pregnant.  I bought mine in December of 2010 (21 months ago) when we decided that maybe, just maybe, we were ready to be parents. 

They sat in my top drawer hidden behind socks hoping that my early purchase didn’t jinx our potential to have a baby.  It took us a little bit of time to get pregnant but we did!   And then we had an unexpected loss 7 weeks into the first pregnancy, which broke our hearts.   But we were lucky enough to get pregnant a second time, and Finally have a reason to pull those Mom Picky Stickys out of my drawer. 

So here we are, just 31 days and 2 Picky Stickys away from our Sweet Baby Girls due date.   It’s hard to believe that this is about to happen.  Her room is just about completed, her clothes are almost all washed, and I think we are almost ready to say Good-bye to Mom Picky Stickys and Hello to our daughter.   We hope she is just as excited as we are!   

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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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