Christmas 2011 Photo Collage

Here is a photo collage of our Christmas in Iowa.  I will write more about our trip once we make it back to New York.  Enjoy!

So happy to see her!



Adorable



Smiling nice for the camera



Matt is hamming it up for the camera



Having way too much fun.

He was a robot.

Posing with Daddy and Uncle Aaron

Soooooo happy to have my little brothers home!

Matt and I with me a couple of my high school classmates/friends; Katie & Jareb.  Katie's daughter, Aleeyah was in our wedding.

Fun times with Grandma

Our favorite little people. :-D

And the Third Trimester Begins! :-O

Today marks my 28th week of pregnancy (aka the start of the third trimester)!  I cannot believe that we are two thirds of the way through already.  It feels like I was just standing in my bathroom staring at that pregnancy test in disbelief.  For the most part I have been feeling pretty good, but I am starting to get some aches and pains.  My lower back has felt better, and though I have been fighting my chiropractor to get one of those belts that supports my belly I'm not sure I will be able to fight her much longer.  I'm excercising and attempting to stand as correctly as possible but after a long day all I want to do is curl up with my heat pad and nurse my poor back.  I guess I could feel worse, and there are always more prenatal massages to be had. hehe  Sleeping has also become a challenge.  I finally bought a body pillow yesterday because it was impossible to move surrounded by every pillow I could find, not to mention Matt had been banned to the far side of the bed due to my pillow wall.   I know the non-sleep is supposed to be practice for when the baby comes and all that, but it's just mean.  Shouldn't I be able to rest as much as possible before the baby comes? Naps and early bed times have become my friends, that's for sure.

28 Weeks!

Baby Cook has been moving around like crazy the past couple of weeks.  Sometimes I swear she's using every section of her body to hit me at once.  It's comical to watch my belly move when she's in one of her hyper fits though.  I blame Matt for her obvious hyper tendencies, because I certainly was not like that.  LOL  Thursday is my next follow-up but judging from how much she is moving and how my mid-section is growing I'd say she is doing just fine.  :-)

Matt and I are going to be preparing for our long drive to Iowa this week.  I cannot wait!  I hate the drive but getting the long break from work and spending time with my family makes it all worth it.  So the cleaning and packing has begun.  Making it through the work week is always the toughest because my mind is already in vacay mode but the reality is that I still have so much to do to prepare for my absence at work.  Here's hoping that this week goes quick! 

Other than that Matt and I are done with Christmas shopping, thank goodness.  Going to the mall yesterday was so much more enjoyable since we weren't scrambling to find last minute gifts for everyone.  So now all that's left to do is get back to Iowa and spend a wonderful Christmas with my family.  Update and pictures to follow after the holidays!  Merry Christmas Everyone! 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....?

Hello Again!  I hope you're all doing well.  Things continue to be busy busy in our neck of the woods.  We finally got a bit of snow on Wednesday, but with the exception of Red Hill Knolls the snow quickly melted away the very next day.  I am not a fan of the cold weather or the snow really, however, there is an exception to this dislike, Christmas.  I have a serious grip with Mother Nature because it definitely does not look like Christmas out there right now.  The ground is bare and the grass is still green!  I sure hope that we have snow for Christmas.  Without the snow it makes it hard to get into the spirit.  I have been trying though,  I have decorated at home and I decorated my branch at work.  I am currently listening to Christmas music in the hopes of fully getting myself into the Christmas mood. 

Today I went down to the library in the town that I live in.  Grahamsville has been spending a lot of time revamping their library the last few years and I had yet to check it out.  My mother-in-law, Susan needed to drop cookies off for the Holiday Tea Time they were hosting at the library, so she invited me to come with her to see what they have done to the library.  I will say, it was absolutely gorgeous in there.  When she showed me the children's section it made me excited to take Baby Cook there when she is finally old enough to go to the library and enjoy all of the things they offered.  Reading has always been one of my favorite things to do and I hope to pass my love of reading on to our little girl.  I can't wait to read all of the wonderful books there are for children to our daughter.  On a side note,  as I was standing in the area where they were preparing all of the many plates of cookies and goodies for the Tea Time the very pregnant and hungry me just wanted to grab one of each goodie.  One should not take a pregnant woman into a buffet of Christmas treats and not allow her to sample, it's just mean. ;-)

I finally got my butt in gear and wrote out the Christmas cards that I need to get out to the many people on my mailing list.  After a couple of hours and one very sore wrist later I am happy to report that I am almost done, with the exception of waiting for updated address on a couple of people.  Now, if only I could say that I had also completed my Christmas shopping.  I am going to do my best to complete that tomorrow though.  Since we spend Christmas in Iowa we have to ship most of the gifts we have to get so I am going to force myself to crack down tomorrow and finish that up so I can stop worrying and so I know that everything will be in Iowa before we get there.

Yesterday I spent a wonderfully relaxing day with my fellow preggo lady/friend, Colleen.  We enjoyed lunch out.  (Colleen, I agree, it is nice to share a meal with someone who is as equally hungry as I am without judgement.)  After lunch Colleen and I did a little bit of shopping.  I did break down and buy a couple of things for Baby Cook.  Until then I had been holding off as I know that we will receive more than enough clothes, but I couldn't help but purchase a couple of outfits.  They were too cute to pass up.

I couldn't resist :-)

After our shopping trip Colleen and I ended the day by enjoying prenatal massages.  How a pregnant woman survives without getting at least one prenatal massage I do not know.  It was just what my over worked muscles needed, especially after my busy week.  There definitely needs to be a trip or two back to the spa before baby is here.  The entire day was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday.  Thank you Colleen for suggesting and inviting me. :-)  Colleen is looking great and carrying her pregnancy beautifully.

In baby news, I am officially in my final week of the second trimester.  This week I found out I had gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks.  That makes perfect sense as my appetite seems to have graduated to that of a teenage boy's.  I can't seem to eat enough food to keep baby happy.  Along with the extra poundage my members and co-workers were kind enough to point out that my mid-section has grown to account for those pounds.  I have no problem with the growing belly, I was a bit taken back by the fact that people are so open in voicing how big you are when you are pregnant.  I know that most people do not mean it in a mean way, however, a little tact when dealing with a hormonal woman, who is growing a human being is probably a good idea.  I actually had a member ask me if I thought I was going to be able to work up to my due date as I was already so big.  I don't care who you are, that stings a bit. Lol  Aside from the somewhat insensitive comments everyone has been quite wonderful and I have been feeling great.  I really have been incredibly lucky.  I haven't really felt sick, my hair and skin looks great, and Matt has been wonderful about giving me mini massages at the end of the day to help relieve any tension.  What more could a girl ask for?

27 Weeks!

Thanks to Kate!

Irish Love from Matt's Mom

The Holidays Have Arrived!

Hello All!!!  Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Matt and I spent a wonderful day with Matt's family.  We all ate way too much, laughed a lot, and enjoyed great company.  Matt's cousin, Tara, was fascinated with my ever present bump.  She really wanted to feel her little cousin kick but unfortunately our little girl was quite subdued by all of the food I had fed myself and her.  I'm sure that she will get the opportunity to feel her kick at Christmas time. 

Since Thanksgiving Matt and I have been quite busy running from one place to the next.  We spent one weekend day in Albany registering for the baby.  It was so overwhelming to see all of the choices.  I thought I was prepared but Matt and I still left there feeling a bit frazzled.  By the end of the experience we were ready for a nap.  We survived the trip though and have successfully registered at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby.  There are still small things that need to be added but I have been adding to it as I've had the time and am almost done.  I might actually complete it by the time Baby Cook arrives.

The Christmas spirit is everywhere now and I am so excited.  Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I have put up some decorations at home but I must say that no one rivals my mom.  I look forward to going home every Christmas because as soon as I walk in my parent's house I am transported into the magic and excitement of Christmas.  This year is extra special because my little brothers are both safely back in the States.  I'm so excited to spend the holiday with my family.

In Baby Cook news, I am now 2 weeks from entering the 3rd and final trimester.  I cannot believe that it is here already.  I grow more and more anxious to meet our little angel, but admittedly have moments of "Oh gosh, we still have so much to do!".  But I just take a breath and try to enjoy every moment of this wonderful experience, even the moments of sleeplessness, aches, and being unable to bend over. Haha

26 Weeks!

The only thing we've completed in the nursery. :-)