24 January 2010

Birthing class, Colts Playoff wins, and 1st Baby Shower

On January 9th, Chris and I attended an all day birthing and preparation class at the Family Center where we will be delivering our little boy. We were there along with 10 other couples, most of whom were further along in their pregnancies than we were! Our nurse/presenter, Cindy, was fully of energy and very helpful with all her information. She took us on a tour of the different rooms that we would be in throughout our stay in the Family Center. The check in room, the labor and delivery room, and of course, the room where the majority of our stay will be spent with the baby. With a normal delivery, we will be in the Family Center for 48 hours after he is born and 4 days if I have to have a C-section. They do not have a nursery as they want to encourage rooming in. We got to have lunch at there, and it was pretty decent. Afterwards, we watched some videos (not as grossed out as I expected to be) and learned how to do some breathing and massages. It was a lot of information thrown at us, but I feel more prepared and ready for what is going to happen very soon!

On January 16th, Chris and I prepared for the first Colts' playoff game against the Ravens. Chris made hot wings and seasoned potato wedges for the occasion. He even let me wear his Manning jersey, since my Marvin Harrison jersey is too small currently! We were glad for the win and even more happy for the amazing food that Chris made!
The next day, we were busy cleaning and getting ready for our baby shower hosted by Christine and Erin. It was an international baby theme with the word "baby" written in several different languages decorated around the house. Our new kitchen color matched all of the decorations that Erin and Christine had as well! We started off by eating (of course!). Christine and her husband, Bruce, made hummus with pita rounds from Turkey, brie with mushrooms from France, tomato basil bruschetta from Italy, chicken tostadas from Mexico, spicy Asian wings from China, teriyaki spareribs from Japan, and tabbouleh salad from Lebanon. Marvin got a lick of the spareribs, and Chris got to eat a few things before they took off to play at the park while the girls enjoyed the shower festivaties. Christine and Erin had planned all sorts of fun games! We played a game where everyone had to guess how big my belly was. Most seemed to go too small! We also smelled (some even tasted) some melted chocolate in diapers to determine what type of candy bar it was. Another game was for all the guests to make a baby out of Play Doh, and I had to guess who had made it and say who had done the best. Finally, there were some questions on a napkin about me and the baby, and my guests had to try and guess what my answers were. Then we ate cake--YUM! After cake, I opened all the baby's gifts. He got a lot of great stuff! I was very thankful for my hostesses and all my guests for coming and making my baby shower so much fun! After the shower was over, Bruce came over and took some pictures of Chris and I goofing around! It was a great day! We had leftovers for over a week from the shower!






Today was the Colts' second playoff game against the Jets. Although I spent most of the game on my laptop preparing for a presentation I am giving tomorrow, it was an exciting game! It was a big day for Pierre Garcon! Chris made chili for this occasion, and it was delicious! We cannot wait until the Super Bowl!
Tomorrow marks 36 weeks of pregnancy for me. We go back to the doctor. Our last visit on January 15th (at 7 a.m.!) was pretty routine. The doctor told us everything seemed to be going well and that the baby will probably be average sized. Everything seems to be right on track!

08 January 2010

For Sue and my other "fans"



I was talking to my friend Sue last night, and she said I need to put up more pictures of my pregnant belly for all my "fans". I have recently "popped", so there is more to see! Enjoy!






These three are of me and the bump. The top is not a maternity top but the pants are. You can see the baby doll that we are using to help Marvin to adjust to his new sibling in the lamb swing in the background as well!

I promise to post more soon!

05 January 2010

Holidays

Today I am 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant. It is crazy to think how fast the time goes. Chris and I were able to get a lot done with our time off. On Tuesday, December 21st, I went back to the doctor. It was just another routine visit. Everything is going well, and I am measuring right on schedule. My next doctor's appointment is Tuesday, January 12th. My parents and grandparents came down for a few days to celebrate New Year's Eve/Christmas with us. We got the opportunity to eat a lot of good food and try some new restaurants while they were down here. When my parents got here on Tuesday night, we ate at Max's Alley in Concord. It was really good! Chris had had lunch there before, but I had never been there. I had baked chicken stuffed with tomatoes with spinach and rice. Chris had stuffed trout, spinach, and the most amazing sweet potatoe puree that I have ever tasted! It was awesome! My parents split trout with green beans. They really seemed to like the place as well. The reviews online said it is the best place to eat in Concord. I must say it is pretty high on my list. My grandparents arrived later, so after we ate, we went to their hotel and visited. Mamie had pictures of Christmas at her house, so I got to see everyone. I also saw some pictures of my niece, nephew, and cousin's son playing at Mamie and Papaw's. They are such good great-grandparents. On Wednesday, we went to downtown Concord. There isn't much to do, but it is a good way to kill a few minutes. My dad found a coin shop and has already made a date to go back in February once his grandson is born to show off some of his coins. We also ate at the chocolate shop--Yum! We all split an oreo cheesecake and apple tart. I had a hot chocolate too--It was so good! Mamie has those pictures, so I will have to get those from her. After spending a little more time in downtown, we decided to get lunch. We went to the Greek restaurant and had grouper pitas (Chris had a NY gyro). It was delicious as usual. Do you notice the theme of eating all the time? Since we were so close to Chris's school, we went to Cannon for a visit. We all got to see his classroom and marvel at how great a school it is! My mom and dad really like the S&D coffee that is made here in Concord, so we went to the gift shop to get them some coffee to take back with them. I had an eye doctor's appointment, so we all trooped to that as well. The one positive thing about all this driving around were the heated seats in my mom and dad's van. It sure made my backache feel better! While I was at the eye doctor, the rest of the crew went to the mall across the street. Papaw need sweatpants, because he was so cold. For dinner we went into Harrisburg and got Dino's pizza. It is really some good pizza. We enjoyed it. Thursday was New Year's eve, and we got off to a slow start. Everyone was busy doing there on thing. My mom had made dinner reservations at McCormick's Seafood Restaurant for 4:15 p.m. in South Park. It takes a good 45 minutes to get to that part of Charlotte from our house, so we left a little early. We were seated right away. After looking at the menu, I knew I would have a hard time finding something for me to eat. I am not really allowed to have shellfish or fish due to the mercury, and I had been getting sick on red meat. There were really about two options on the menu for me. My dad and Papaw got King crab legs. That was the whole reason for going to this restaurant! I ended up getting some salmon. My dinner salad was amazing! I really liked it. For dessert, I got apple pie with cinnamon ice cream. My mom got carrot cake, and Mamie got creme brulee. I personally think my dessert was the best! After dinner, we went back to our house and opened our Christmas presents. Baby Taylor made out really well getting a lot of cute outfits. This baby is going to be really well dressed! My friends, Kayci and Amanda, also gave us a big thing of diapers and wipes! We were really excited to get that! After that we played Apples to Apples and Sequence. The girls beat the guys in Sequence, and I won Apples to Apples. We missed the actually dropping of the ball by a few seconds but thank heavens for DVR! We rewinded it and then we headed off to bed. On Friday, my parents, Chris, and I ate at the Harrisburg Restaurant for breakfast. It was fabulous as usual. Great food for a very reasonable price. Then we were off to IKEA. My parents really like IKEA since we took them there in September, and it was Mamie and Papaw's first time. Mamie was able to get something for their place in Florida. Chris and I also got a bookshelf and a small side table. Mamie and Papaw have already visited the IKEA in Orlando! We hung out at our house after that. For dinner we tried a Mexican restaurant in Concord. It was pretty good. I know that Chris really enjoyed his meal. I was sort of underwhelmed. Mamie and Papaw said their goodbyes. They were headed off to Florida in the morning. Marvin was sad, because he had grew attached to cuddling with Mamie. My parents left Saturday morning to go back to Indiana. Chris and I cleaned some more and were able to set up the nursery and finish cleaning a few more things before we started school. I will let Chris write about his Christmas presents and the Kitchen project. We also have our birthing class and hospital tour on Saturday, so we will have more to write after that!