Noah's First Christmas

Noah's First Christmas turned out a little differently than expected.  We planned to travel to Arkansas and have Christmas with lots of family, but Noah started getting sick the Sunday before Christmas.  By Monday, he developed a nasty cough, so we made a doctor's appointment for him on Tuesday (the day we were supposed to leave), just to have piece of mind before traveling.  Noah tested positive for RSV, and our pediatrician recommended we stick around for an extra day or two to get him well.

Unfortunately, Noah ran a fever for 6 days in a row and was pitiful...so pitiful that he happily snuggled with each of us in the chair and sat still!  (The only positive about him being sick).  We were still going to travel Christmas Day, but Noah wasn't better, so we sadly decided to stay at home. We had a sweet, quiet Christmas for three.  We got up Christmas morning and opened a few gifts then bundled ourselves up and went to the Boulder Fields to hike and to let Noah inhale fresh, cold air.  Because of all the rain lately, the hike was beautiful.  Not a soul was in sight, and the waterfalls were gorgeous.  What a gem to have such a beautiful place just 15 minutes away in the middle of Birmingham!

Christmas night, we ordered Chinese from our favorite restaurant and watched Christmas Vacation.  We went to bed pretty early, and Noah slept well for the first time in days.  His fever finally broke the day after Christmas, and he has been better ever since.  Unfortunately, he still has a yucky cough.  We were really sad that so many people who wanted to see Noah at Christmas didn't get the opportunity, but we made the right decision by having him stay at home.

Yesterday, we met my dad half way in Memphis to exchange gifts.  We ate lunch then went to a park and let Noah try out his new Radio Flyer tricycle.  It was freezing outside, but he had fun for the few minutes he rode.  His Gimmie is coming for his birthday, and he will have an extra special time opening all of his Christmas and birthday gifts.  I pray that he is well for his birthday!

I hope you and your families had a Merry Christmas!

Snuggling with Daddy

Ready to open presents!

Christmas Morning...I will treasure this precious picture always.

His favorite present?  A box of boxes of course!

Christmas morning hike with the kiddos

Opening presents

Merry Christmas from the McGreeveys!

Noah's First Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving as a family of three is in the books, and it was a great first for all of us.  Noah especially loved Thanksgiving I think...considering he has eaten a "Pilgrim Platter" every day since.  He loved getting to try turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans, and he's had plenty of leftovers over the weekend.

Uncle Sean and Aunt Caroline came from Pittsburgh and stayed with us for a week.  They spent a few days with Noah while Michael and I worked, and they played all day and took him to the park.  We could tell that Noah really loved having them around.  He especially loved their sweet dog Dolly. We caught him sharing his food with her a few times as well!

Michael's mom "Nana" came to Birmingham on Wednesday, and my mom "Gimme" and Steve "Papa Shaw" came on Thursday.  We fried turkeys and ate Thursday afternoon then my mom and I went to a few stores on Thanksgiving.  I swore I wouldn't get out on Thanksgiving, but my mom was in town, and she was ready to shop from the moment she arrived.  I had plenty of help back at home with Noah, so I thought...what the heck?  We shopped for some new Christmas decorations, and we got some great deals on fall and Christmas.  I already had silver ornaments, but I wanted to add some gold.  I thought our tree turned out beautiful!

We had a wonderful time sharing our first holiday with Noah, and I am looking forward to our first Christmas together!

Noah's First Road Trip

We took our first road trip and spent a week in Arkansas earlier this month for the Fourth of July holiday.  Noah got to meet so many family members for the first time.  We were busy all week, and we had so much fun.  We visited family every day, had a Fourth of July cookout and hosted a shower for my best friend Holly and her husband Brad who are expecting Anna Claire in September.  It was great to see my girlfriends from high school who traveled from Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.

We could have stayed another week to actually get some rest and call it a vacation.  Noah did great in the car, and it only took us a little longer each way because we had to stop to feed and change. I would travel with him again if we had the time.  Next stop…the beach next year! :)

Here are some pics from Fourth of July and Anna Claire's Shower

 

Noah's First Easter

We had a wonderful first Easter with Noah this year. We woke up at 8:30 am to give us 3 hours to make it to church on time.  Parents...you know this is a necessity!  Michael's mom Betty was visiting, and, we made a big breakfast and took turns getting ourselves and Noah ready and actually made it to church a few minutes early!

This was also Noah's first time to go to church.  Michael and I were both nervous because Noah does really well on a routine, and he likes to be home most of the time.  We found three seats on the back row, which helped our anxiety a little.  Noah made it through the songs, but as soon as we sat down and Pastor Chris started preaching, Noah started crying.  Don't take it personally P Chris.  I made my way to the Mother's Room and remained with four or five other mothers for the rest of the service.  On a side note, I would like to give a shout out to Church of the Highlands for providing such a nice Mother's Room for us.  I didn't mind going to church in that room at all!  After church, we went back home and relaxed and made Easter lunch.

The Easter Bunny came for Noah a few times, and he got an awesome seersucker suit from his Uncle Sean and Aunt Caroline, and he got lots of toys and fun things from his Gimmie and Pops.  Mommy and Daddy...well, not so much.  I had his Easter all planned out, and I even got a basket cover with his name on it.  It's the cutest thing ever.  However, it's hard to use a basket cover if you don't have a basket!  I admit, I was being cheap and didn't want to buy the Pottery Barn basket that fit the cover and waited too long and discovered no one had the basket I needed except PB, and they were all sold out when I went back online.  I also had plans to get Noah his first Bible with his name embossed on it, but Saturday night before Easter, I realized I had forgotten.  I can count 3-4 times I set out to get that Bible and ended up not having enough time or sincerely forgetting while I was out.  I definitely had a mom fail with this holiday.  I'm just glad he won't know...unless he reads this. Ha!

After it was all said and done, we had a wonderful first Easter!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I cannot believe it is 2014 already, and we are a week or less away from officially becoming parents.  How exciting and how scary!  I do not know what happened to 2013.  I think it was the fastest year of my life, and I have trouble remembering most of it.  I would say 2013 was a good year for us.

We started out the year with 21 days of prayer in January, and we began to pray about having children.  It didn't take God very long to give us our answer since we got pregnant in April.  What a surprise of our lives! We were thinking we still had years for children to be present if in fact we were meant to become parents.

May and June are blurs to me.  I was sick and crazy most of May.  We went to the beach for our anniversary, and I didn't enjoy the trip nearly as much as I hoped. I felt so bad for Michel who had to be around me, but he was so great.  We definitely need a beach do-over this year (but then there's daycare to pay for so....).  I started feeling more normal in June as we began to pack up our apartment to move into our house in July.

July and August were spent unpacking and fixing up our house.  I am glad we moved, and I had something to occupy my mind for some time while I was still trying to get used to the idea of being pregnant.  On July 4th, I met many members of my new family at my mom and Steve's engagement party.  We also got to announce our pregnancy along with my new brother and sister-in-law who are due two days before us with a baby girl.

September and October were very busy.  Michael's job kicked into high gear during his busy season, but we managed to take a trip to Arkansas and watch Samford play the Razorbacks.  We registered for McBaby and began putting the nursery together.  I started nesting in September and began organizing and cleaning, and I don't think I've really stopped since.  In October, we traveled back to Arkansas for my mom's wedding, which was really special.  We also had our first shower in October, which was wonderful, and we completed our birth classes at the hospital.

We celebrated our birthdays in November, but with all that we had to buy for the baby, I don't really remember if we actually celebrated much.  Michael went to the Alabama vs. Tennessee game as a 30th birthday celebration.  I stayed home and let him celebrate with his friends.  Being pregnant and tailgating just didn't sound too fun to me, but I think Michael had a wonderful time.  I traveled back to Arkansas again for another shower, and it was amazing as well. I enjoyed seeing my family and friends that I don't get to see too often.  Michael and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving together at home because he was under the weather, and it was nice to spend it together just the two of us.

December has flown by as well.  We managed to put up our Christmas tree and spent our last little quiet Christmas together.  Michael has been at home a lot more this month, and it spoils me to have him here.  I enjoy our time together so much.  We had his staff over for a Christmas shrimp boil a few weeks ago, which was a lot of fun.  I know they enjoy having a few more days off this time of year as well.  We have spent the last few days finishing up the nursery, buying all the necessities we still needed, making and freezing meals, cleaning the house, and packing our hospital bags.  I guess we are as ready to bring our baby home as we can be.

I have so many hopes for 2014.  More than anything, I pray for a healthy baby and a healthy family.  I hope this experience as parents brings us closer to God and closer to each other.  I want more than anything to experience the unconditional love that the Father has for me through being a mom and loving our child unconditionally.  I pray that our faith is increased immeasurably through being parents.  I hope that I slow down and appreciate the importance of every day, whether good or bad.  I want to learn to cherish every moment.  I want to appreciate my family and friends more.  Perhaps we will actually become sentimental, since we are anything but at this point.  I've heard kids do that to you, and you become the couple who keeps nothing to the parents who keep every macaroni necklace your children make.  I hope we enjoy the journey by cherishing the good times and learning from the tough times.

Happy New Year!  Here's to a fantastic 2014 for all of you!

33 & 34 Weeks and Thanksgiving

I'm playing catch up today with posting my 33 and 34 week pictures.  I can't believe how close we are getting to our baby's arrival!  When I think about the possibility of AnnMarie or Noah arriving in 5 weeks or less, it makes me so nervous and excited...I hope we are ready!

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday with just the two of us.  We were invited to a Thanksgiving feast at The Arvin's house, but unfortunately Michael was sick and we thought it was best to stay home and enjoy Thanksgiving quarantined.  I roasted a chicken, and we had green beans, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato casserole.  I bought a pecan pie from Whole Foods for dessert, which I ate sparingly.
I also treated myself to these babies.  3 truffles only have 8 carbs...a gestational diabetes dream!

Michael was feeling so bad on Wednesday, that he told me just to buy a frozen pizza for Thanksgiving.  I knew he was sick with that suggestion because Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday.  I tried to make our meal as close to Thanksgiving as I could.

I did not venture out for Black Thursday/Black Friday (they should change the name now that everything is open on Thanksgiving).  I have never had the desire to fight over toasters and TVs....maybe someday.  I did partake in some internet shopping for McBaby, and I bought one single Black Friday item.  I can't wait to get it in the mail!

Football rivalry weekend happens every Thanksgiving, and in Alabama, the Iron Bowl may be more of a holiday than Thanksgiving.  Yesterday's game was predicted to be the most important Iron Bowl in history, and it was a game that definitely lived up to all the hype!  #4 Auburn beat #1 Alabama with one second left in the game, knocking Alabama out of National Title contention.  I wonder if any pregnant Auburn or Bama fans went into labor last night after that ending? Ha!

Speaking of labor...I'm getting closer to the big day.  I'll be 35 weeks along this week, but here is McBaby at 33 & 34 weeks. I'm feeling better than I thought I would at this point, but I hear it gets rough around 36 weeks.  I'm hoping that life continues as it has the past two weeks!

33 Weeks!

34 Weeks!

How Far Along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: Just more than 18 inches long and almost 4 3/4 pounds. The size of a cantaloupe.  

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity most of the time with the exception of my lounge clothes.  Luckily, I'm still able to wear most of my oversized sweaters and cardigans.

Gender: Not finding out!  

Movement: McBaby moves a lot these days...

Sleep: Better than I thought it would be so far! I'm averaging 8-10 hours a night, and I am taking advantage of sleep as much as I can. 

Symptoms: I'm experiencing more joint and groin pain and can tell some of my bones are separating.  I am waddling a little more lately.  

What I miss: I miss lots of things.  Sleeping on my stomach, eating without heartburn, eating dessert without worrying, wine and beer on occasion, sushi, and Jersey Mike's subs.  

Cravings: Pickles, cheese, and sugar lately

Best Moment this week: Finding a pediatrician and a MDO program for McBaby when he/she turns 5 months old.  

What I am looking forward to: Michael getting some time off in December and spending as many minutes with him as possible before the baby arrives and our lives our changed forever!  

Hello 2013!

Michael, Scarlett, and I are celebrating the first day of 2013 by watching lots of football and cuddling on the couch!  It has not stopped raining, which gives us a great opportunity to rest from a very busy December.  We kicked off the holidays with a trip to New York City to see the Christmas lights and to eat lots of good food!  Well...that's not the only reason we went to New York.  It was a business trip for me, but fortunately Michael got to join me, and we got to fit in some sightseeing and eating ;)!  We started the trip with a visit to the famous Katz Deli.  This place was crazy crowded and crazy good!



After our first meal of the day, we went to the Chelsea Market then to Midtown to Rockefeller Center and Times Square.




After Rockefeller, we were hungry again, so we took the Subway to Lombardi's, the oldest pizza place in New York City!



On our last full day of the trip, we started out in Chinatown.  After, another big meal, we went uptown to Central Park then down 5th Avenue.  I loved being able to go back to Central Park and walk down 5th Avenue at Christmas.







I loved the Christmas windows at the department stores on 5th Avenue!

After a few days in NYC, we came back to Birmingham for two days then traveled to South Carolina to visit Michael's family for Christmas.  This Christmas may have been the most relaxed one ever, which is what I really needed!  We did not get to see Michael's brother Sean and his wife Caroline for Christmas, so they came to Birmingham this past Friday to spend New Year's with us.  We had a great time seeing them and their sweet girl Dolly.

We decided to stay in last night and enjoy a low key New Year's Eve with our girls.



2012 was a great year for us.  We have been blessed with so much, and I pray that 2013 will be even better.  I know that in 2013, I hope to help others more and to find joy in each day rather than worrying so much about the next.  I am still struggling with anxiety from time to time, and I hope to learn how to appreciate the blessings I have rather than focusing on the trials that some times get in my way.

Happy New Year!

A Week Into Thirty

I'm officially 30 years and 1 week old today! Nothing feels different though I never expected it would. I'm just thankful I've lasted 3 decades!

I had a few days of celebrating around some delicious food and great company. Is there a better way to celebrate a momentous occasion? I celebrated an early birthday with my two friends Baylee and Lindsey at a local Mexican restaurant. Michael and I celebrated a dinner together on Sunday before my big day. On my actual birthday, we made one of our favorite dinners - homemade chili. On Wednesday, my mom came in town for Thanksgiving, and we celebrated my birthday together at Hot and Hot Fish Club in Southside. Hot and Hot is famous around here, and I have wanted to go for quite a while, especially when the owner Chris Hastings beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef earlier this year. What better time than my 30th birthday to splurge! We made a reservation at the Chef's Bar that encircles the open kitchen, and we got to watch the chef's prepare all of the dishes. It was a great atmosphere and an unforgettable experience with my two favorite people in the world!

We stayed in town for Thanksgiving because Michael had to work a basketball tournament over the weekend.  Since so many of his colleagues had to stay around town, his coworker Michelle hosted everyone at her house for Thanksgiving.  We thought it would be fun to enjoy a big Thanksgiving feast together.  My friend Baylee joined my mom, Michael and I.  We had the job of making sweet potato casserole, dressing and dessert.  This was our first time making dressing, and we need a do-over next year!  It tasted good, but it wasn't the prettiest thing to look at.  In fact, it got placed at the end of the table for everyone to scoop on their plate last!

Baylee and I at Thanksgiving

After dinner, we hung out together, played in a bouncy house of all things, then tried not to fall asleep!  Mom and I really wanted to do some late Thanksgiving night or early Black Friday shopping, but we didn't have it in us.  Instead, we were in bed by 9 pm Thanksgiving night.  One day, I will engage in Black Friday shopping if only for the experience of people watching.  At 30, I'm proud that I have never partaken in the ritual, so out of pride, I may never give in :).

Mom and I did spend quite a bit of time shopping on Friday and Saturday.  We didn't buy much, but we looked around for hours!  She did get me a few things for my birthday, which was really great of her.  I thought her coming to Birmingham was a good enough present!

I am excited to see some more of our families over the Christmas holidays.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Adventurous

I hope everyone had a festive 4th of July although the holiday was in the middle of the week and left us all going back to work on Thursday. Well, Michael and I had to go to work. I don't know about everyone else! We didn't let that stop us, and we were a little adventurous on Independence Day. Or let me say that we were adventurous according to our standards ;)! We traveled to Georgia where our friend Lindsey's parents live, and we hung out at the pool and cooked out before going to our first Braves game. The Braves lost to the Cubs, but it was still a great time. They had an amazing fireworks show after the game that was better than expected! After the game, the adventure felt a little less adventurous and a little more irresponsible as we drove back home and didn't get into bed before 2:30 am only to get up a few hours later!



Michael and I at the game!

Baylee, Lindsey, and me before the game. I love these girls, and I'm glad we work together!

Now an even bigger adventure for Michael and I began today! This one is big!!! We drove half way to Arkansas and met my mom, two aunts, and my little cousin Steven who they handed over to us for the week. Yep, Michael and I are parentals for a whole week to a 9 year old boy. I don't know who needs more prayers, him or us! I am happy to have him here to visit, and we have a lot of fun things planned for him. It was also nice to see my mom and aunts. We ate at this great place in Holly Springs, MS called Philips Grocery. It is a converted nineteenth century saloon turned grocery store turned hamburger joint, and we enjoyed it!

My mom and her two sisters Donna and Paula at Philips Grocery

After eating lunch, we drove back to Birmingham with Steven. We went grocery shopping then came back and headed straight for the pool before dinner. I think he's having fun!

Trip to Arkansas

This past weekend, Michael, Scarlett, and I took a trip to Arkansas to visit my family for the holiday. It's never a long enough trip when I get to see my mom, and I hate that we always run out of time! On Saturday, we went to a crawfish boil/going away party for my cousin Kelsea who is leaving for NYC tomorrow. I'm so excited for her, but of course I'm secretly jealous :)! She is going to NYU this fall to begin her masters degree, so she will be in The Big Apple for a few years at least. This gives me a great excuse to visit her several times. My mom and I are going to visit her for the first time in August. I can't wait!!!!

At Kelsea's Going Away Party

On Sunday, we went to a family reunion, and then we visited with my great grandmother who is 100 years old. She is smart as a whip and so young at heart! I hope I have her genetics!

I also got the opportunity to visit my friend Lonnie who is 29 weeks pregnant with her first baby girl Juliana. Lonnie is so precious. She is one of those cute pregant girls who only has a belly and is tiny all over. She is so happy, and I am so excited for her and Aaron.

We only had two full days in Arkansas, which wasn't much at all, but I'm glad we visited family and got to fit in a few hours of shopping with my mom to prepare for NYC! Now it's time for us to get ready for our next trip to the beach in a few weeks. I'm sure Scarlett will be excited for a second road trip. To her, it's just another opportunity to sleep on our bags in the floor board!

A Merry Christmas & A Low Key New Year's

It's New Year's Eve at 8:27 pm, and I am blogging from our recliner in my pajamas! Michael and Scarlett are cuddled on the couch watching football. We are truly ringing in the new year! I don't think I would have it any other way. We enjoyed an amazing dinner at home tonight, compliments of the chefs at Whole Foods who made us stuffed porkchops, focaccia bread, and twice baked potatoes. All we had to do was make a salad and put the rest in the oven. Now, let's just hope we can make it until midnight...just 3 1/2 hours to go! Scarlett has already pooped out!



We had a great Christmas this year in Arkansas. We stayed with my mom for six days, and we celebrated with family on Friday night and on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, it was 60 degrees, so we went to Burns Park on the Arkansas River and walked the trails for a couple of hours. On Christmas night, I made homeade white chicken chili, and we watched a movie.

Though we weren't planning to do gifts, my mom cannot seem to help herself when it comes to Christmas. Knowing she couldn't stick with the plan, we also got her a few sentimental gifts. My cousin Jack who lives in Boston gave me a cd with a ton of old family photos when we visited him in the spring. I had several pictures printed for my mom and bought her a picture hanging wire that she loved from Ikea when she saw it last year. We took the pictures and hung them above her guest room bed to make a headboard. It turned out so cute, and she loves the pictures.



Michael and I made out with some great gifts as well. He got some clothes and a ton of fast food giftcards since he enjoys eating out so much for lunch :)! Thank you mom for saving me money! Like I said, my mom cannot help herself. When she gets an idea in her head, she runs with it. For several years, she has always given me a set of new pajamas for Christmas. Pajamas are my favorite Christmas gift to receive for some reason, and my pajama drawer is ridiculous. Well....mom contributed to my obsession by getting me 5 sets of pajamas this year! She warned me that she went overboard!



She also gave me some other "interesting" gifts for my stocking. I can only suppose that she bought these on her pre-Christmas trip to Branson, Missouri. Branson is home to the most knick-knack gift shops I have ever seen!



This gift is the funniest of all. She gave this to me early because she knew it would get a good laugh. It is made to go in my car, but as much as I love Scarlett, I think I'm going to pass. My mom has a fun sense of humor doesn't she?



I also got a cold for Christmas and was feeling under the weather for the past few days. Fortunately, I think I'm well enough to toast the new year with a glass of champagne tonight.

I hope you have had a Merry Christmas and are enjoying a fun and safe New Year's Eve. Cheers to a great year to come!