Traveling, Holiday Cheer, and a New Year!

Best Christmas gift, having my brothers home with me

We were so happy to be able to see our niece and nephew

My favorite people

New Year's Eve dinner with my second family

First I will start with a belated Happy New Year!  I hope that everyone welcomed 2012 with wonderful friends, family or both.  This holiday season was especially meaningful to Matt and and for a few reasons.  First, there was the wonderful presence of my little brothers.  We were all so very thankful and happy that they were safely in the States with us this Christmas.  For me, it made Christmas whole again.  Having them there also reminded me of the true meaning of the holiday.  It isn't about how many presents are under the tree but about being with the people that you love. 

The second thing that made this holiday season so special was that Aly (Matt's sister and my sis-in-law) was home in New York with us.  It was nice to have her home and it made me realize how much I miss having her around, and yes, though Matt wouldn't say it out loud, how much he misses having his sister around. ;-)  We laughed so much while she was home and we cherished every minute we got to spend with her.

The third, and most wonderful thing about this holiday season is that Matt and I have been blessed with the gift of starting a family.  Not a day passes that I am not reminded of the amazing gift we have been given and we can not wait to finally have our little girl here with us.  In the mean time we revel at watching my belly (excuse me, our daughter) grow and move.  I can already tell she is going to be fiesty one.  At moments during the holidays I stopped in awe that this was our last holiday as just the two of us.  The next time we traveled to Iowa we would be bringing our little girl with us.  The next Christmas we celebrated would be celebrated with our little girl.  It's all so exciting, and admittedly a little scary at times, but a welcome scary and one that we have been waiting for, for much too long. 

In all, I don't know if I could have asked for a better Christmas or New Year's.  It was wonderful to be with our families and share in all of the joy that brings and to also share in all of the excitement of the pending additions to the family.  I say additions because my baby brother, Aaron, and his wife, Jessi are also expecting in May.  Not only will Hunter and Hayden have one new cousin, but they will have two.  Needless to say, when we're all together from this point forward it's going to be a bit more hectic and wonderful.  We were all hoping to find out what Aaron and Jessi were having while home for Christmas but unfortunately the little one was not so cooperative.  So, we anxiously await their next ultrasound where my niece or nephew will hopefully cooperate and let us know who they are.

I must say, after the much needed break from work and trip back to Iowa, plus the wonderful celebrations with Matt's family upon our return, it was quite hard to return to reality.  We are keeping ourselves busy though so hopefully the next two months will fly by.  This past weekend Matt and I finally finished clearing out the "mud room" and painted it so it is now the soon-to-be nursery!  I have taken pictures but will post them once we have completed the painting and revamping.  I will say that it is amazing to see what a little paint can do for a room though. 

This coming weekend Matt and I will be attending our Childbirth Preparation course.  It should be interesting to see what that has in store for us, and to see how well Matt handles being stuck in a room listening to and talking about all of the stuff the course involves.  The following two weekends will be spent with myself and Colleen spaing it up once again and hopefully Matt and I can squeeze in a tour of the birthing center before the end of the month.  Matt is busy putting the final touches on our "babymoon" in early February.  I am so excited for the two of us to get away and just enjoy some us time.  I am beyond impatient to have our little girl here with us but it will be nice to have that time for us before she does get here.  That all takes us up to the middle of February and one month away from our due date!  (hint of panic that we won't get everything done in my voice. hehe)

Speaking of the due date, I am officially 31 weeks and 2 months away from the big day!  Baby Cook has certainly grown, as evidence from my buddha like mid section.  Tomorrow we have an ultrasound to see how she is measuring.  Matt and I are so excited to see our little girl again and how much she has grown.  From the pokes, rolls, and jabs I'm guessing she has grown quite a bit from the last time we saw her. 

On that note, I should say good night and get some much needed zzz's.  Again, I hope you all had an amazing holiday and welcome to 2012!  I know this year holds many many new adventures for Matt and I and we cannot wait!  Until next time!

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. :-)

Reflections

I'm writing this blog tonight because I have a dear friend who is going through a very personal and very painful time right now.  Her struggle has made me think about how easily we can let something trivial bring us down and make us forget just how blessed we are. 

I've been stressed and I've had those days where I feel like nothing is going right, and admittedly those times have made me forget the things I am blessed with.  I forget there are soldiers that won't be returning home to their families, there are parent's who have to choose between paying the bills or feeding their children, there are children who spend their days in the hospital because they have cancer instead of playing outside, and I forget my blessings.  I forget that I have a roof over my head, a steady job, a husband that never ceases to amaze me with how much he loves and cares for me, amazing friends and family, and that Matt and I have been blessed with the opportunity to become parents.  My friend's ordeal has made me refocus.  I wish I could take my friends pain away, but unfortunately I can't do that.  What I can do, and what we can all do, is make sure we never forget the blessings in our lives. 

Everyone has a bad day, and sometimes those bad days can stretch out longer than we would like but the next time I come home complaining about someone who gave me attitude or I feel sorry for myself because "nothing is going right", I am going to do my best to just take a breath and remember all of the wonderful things that ARE going right in my life.  Once you do that, everything else is put into perspective and it will help you realize that you probably don't have it all that bad.  And should you be going through a rough patch, and you feel like there is no end to that rough patch, focus on your blessings and know that eventually everything will be ok. 

Have a wonderful evening! :-)

Lion King, Snow & Beautiful Fall Days



Me & My Love

Hello Again!  I hope this blog finds everyone doing well.  Things have been busy for us.  Matt and I celebrated my birthday/finding out that we were having a girl with a day in the City.  Matt got me tickets to see Lion King on Broadway.  The day definitely didn't end up quite as we had planned.  We got to the City ok.  When we arrived it was raining in the City.  Not fun but tolerable.  We met up with Matt's friend, JP for lunch.  We had a wonderful lunch, catching up and enjoying good food.  However, we got quite the surprise while eating lunch, it was snowing in the City!  Now, it does snow in the City, however not usually this early.  It quickly turned into a slushy mess.  We finished lunch and heading to a bar around the corner so we could have a quick drink before Lion King.  Water for me of course.  After we said our goodbye's to JP and his girlfriend we took a slippery taxi ride to Broadway.  I had a great time at the show.  The music and effects were amazing.  Definitely a wonderful way to celebrate.  After the show we quickly found a taxi and took one very long train ride back to where our car was.  Because of the very early and heavy snowfall the train kept having to stop.  The car ride was even slower but we finally made it home.  Though the weather made things a bit difficult it was still a wonderful day in the City with my wonderful husband. 

Halloween!!!!

Every year where I work encourages everyone to dress up for Halloween.  Each branch decorates and we all dress up.  The managers go around and vote on the best branch and the best costume, overall.  We ask our members to vote for their favorite costume and donate the funds we collect from votes to St. Judes.  It's a fun was to raise money for a great cause and have a fun-filled day at work.  It's also a great way to kick off the Holiday season.  :-)

The rest of the week went by fairly uneventfully.  I did return to my yoga routine for the first time in a month and half.  First, I will say, if you're going to work out during your pregnancy, don't take an extended break.  When you return your now present belly will prove to make working out difficult while you adjust to how to move with your new addition.  Second, returning to a workout routine while still pregnant is even less fun than returning after a normal hiatus. 

Friday night we had dinner and hung out with my friend, Latisha and her family and some friends.  I can definitely say that I have not laughed as hard as I did that night in a long time.  By the end of the night my stomach muscles were achy from laughing so hard.  Partly because I was actually the only sober individual at the shindig.  Sometimes that can make for a very boring even, but in this case it kept me endlessly entertained.

The rest of the beautiful Fall weekend was spent doing some chores, running some quick errands and relaxing as much as I possibly could.  We have almost cleared all of the stuff out of the soon to be nursery so that we can start preparing the room for baby.  I have definitely found that I need a few more breaks between chores than I did before, but they all get done AND I'm getting more down time than I usually allow myself. 

Our baby girl loves moving and kicking around in there.  She makes it very clear when she feels too crowded and will kick whatever, or whoever is doing the crowding.  Matt loves to rub my belly and talk to her.  Every day is a new experience and we are enjoying every moment of it. 

I hope that you all have a great week!  Until next time.  XO