Hi friends & family!

Merry Christmas! With the holiday quickly approaching, I thought this would be a fun opportunity to do a little guessing game for what sweet little Macy Grace’s birthday will be! We haven’t determined the prize for the winner yet, but we thought it would be fun to do no matter what!

A few fun facts about our darling girl:
* Macy’s due date is estimated as January 22, 2010
* Mommy’s birthday is January 25!
* As of 35 weeks, Macy’s weight is about 5 pounds, 1 oz
* Mommy weighed 6 lb 14 oz at birth
* According to the ultra sound tech, Macy could be a tall little princess! :-)
* Daddy had TONS of hair when he was born, but Mommy was a little baldie :-)
* Macy likes to give Mommy lots of heartburn, but not really any pre-term contractions yet.
* Macy is measuring the perfect size, but Mommy still looks really small.

So far, the guesses stand as:

* 1-15-10 Mommy
* 1-19-10 Grandma Kay
* 1-20-10 Aunt MacKenzie
* 1-21-10 Aunt Kim & Uncle Mike
* 1-22-10 Daddy
* 1-23-10 Grumpa Charlie
* 1-25-10 Grandma Jane

Macy’s nursery is all ready, all that needs to be done is assemble her stroller and install the carseat in the Saturn Vue! (We will let the firemen take care of that!) We also have pictures to hang on the walls in the nursery, but we will wait for Grumpa Charlie and his level to get here before we attempt that!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has generously blessed our little family with presents for Macy! Without you, we would NEVER have completed the nursery on time, and Macy would not have all the essentials a little girl needs!

We can’t wait to see all of you in the New Year and to introduce Macy Grace to each of you!

May you days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white!

Love,
Liz, Matt & Macy Grace

33 weeks and Nesting

Happy (approaching) holidays friends!

For those of you not yet aware, I have been blessed with the opportunity to be at stay at home mommy for the last few weeks of pregnancy and the first few months of motherhood (hey, I can dream that it's forever, but we will see!)

For the last few days, I have been in definite nesting mode. Matt gets home from work, the dishes are done and put away, all counter tops and surfaces are clean, dinner is in the oven..hard to say who appreciates it more, me or him! In all seriousness, however, a major stress weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I have been to the library, Christmas shopped, read, relaxed, and been able to detox all the negatives that had been hindering me over the last few months! (And this coming from the woman who did not take a single day off from work during the 16 weeks from Hades (aka morning, noon, night sickness) or any sick day the entire pregnancy!!)

Things on my to-do list still include addressing & mailing Christmas cards, finishing decorating the tree, finishing Christmas shopping (please tell me other expectant parents actually wrap gifts for their unborn child to place under the tree so I don't feel like a crazy mom!!), and watching the entire season 5 of LOST when it releases on DVD this week

This weekend Matt & I learned a valuable lesson on patience. We ventured out to get our Christmas/maternity photos taken, and arrived 5 minutes before our scheduled appointment. However, we ended up waiting for 1 hour and 20 minutes for our photos to be taken (which took 10 minutes max) and then another 20 minutes to view the photos, all surrounded by crabby people and children screaming (hey, I understand, kids, I felt like screaming too!!)! By the time we finally selected a photo and paid, we were told we could pick up our pictures in 30 minutes. Knowing the lines we had waited in all morning, we wisely decided to wait 45 minutes before returning, only to find out now that the printer was broken and we could not pick up the pictures till possibly Monday. I think that by having a good attitude towards the situation, we were both able to grow a bit. I know I typically would be raging at this point, but God gave me peace and I was (for once) able to look on the bright side (and we got to shop and have a fantastic lunch while waiting).

May God give you all the same peace he has given me over the last week!

32 weeks down, 8 to go!

Welcome back friends & family!

This week is Thanksgiving, and I am most thankful for a wonderful support system in Matthew, and YOU, our family & friends! I am also VERY thankful for our new home (pictured above), our 3 furbabies--Pogo, Luci & Carolina, a healthy baby (32 weeks and counting!) and the beautiful weather in sunny Arizona!!

Speaking of Macy Grace, Matthew just completed "Daddy Boot Camp" last week, you will all have to ask him about the tri-fecta! Haha! We also have successfully completed our "Birth Basics & Breathing" class, where we learned about Epidurals, C-Sections, and Natural Childbirth. Our class also ended with a tour of the hospital, including where to park and drop off! Hopefully, my mother will be here to drive us out, so Matt can keep me from panicking (or maybe it will be vice versa!). Matt was ecstatic to see a free coffee machine on each floor WITH cappuchino AND cafe mocha. :-)

My parents have been out here for the last week (ish) and my dad has been completing all the little "projects" around the house. He had to change out about 90% of the outlets in the house! We now have a working garage door, fireplace, and can leave the screen doors open for the kitties to look out the window without escaping! We also discovered that we have misters around the back pation to keep us cool during the hot Arizona summers! My mom has been helping with other projects, such as a Baby shopping spree, lunch dates, and wedding arrangements. Thanks Mom & Dad! :-)

Little Gummi Bear is doing well, she like to kick and play! We have almost all the essentuals for her nursery, should she decide to come tomorrow....but I think we will let her cook a little while longer ;-) On our shopping spree, Grandma Kay bought Macy the BEST book ever, entitled "Moo Baa LaLaLa"....Daddy wonders how many times he is going to have to read this over the next 5 years! I was diagnosed as being Strep B positive, and will need antiobiotics during labor, and have been tested for pre-eclampsia, but praise God, it came back negative!

I definitely need prayer and encouragement over the next few weeks, as our lives are about to change forever! (In a good way, of course.) The typical holiday "stressers" seem magnified this year, but at the same time, it will definitely make the next 8 weeks fly by!

30 Weeks Down, Less than 10 to Go!

So excited to be 3/4 of the way done with our first pregnancy!

Matt & I moved into the new house last weekend, and with the exception of not having the water turned on yet, things are going well. We still need to move the kitchen, master bathroom, our clothes, and pets to the new house, but other than that, we are practically done!

My parents are arriving Saturday to stay through Thanksgiving. We are thankful that my dad will be able to help with all the little "projects" around the house (painting Macy's room, fixing the tile in the kitchen, etc). My mom is also looking forward to doting on her daughter and unborn granddaughter....well, at least I hope she is!

Macy Grace is a little cheerleader already; she practices her kicks, flips, and jumps every morning between 9:30-11:00, every afternoon from 2:00-3:30, and every evening between 6-8 pm. She especially likes it when Daddy reads her "Goodnight Moon" and "The Hungary Caterpillar". She gives me insane heartburn everyday, but if I could make it through 3+ months of morning sickness, I suppose I can last another 2 months with the heartburn. I can't believe it's coming up so soon!

I am not looking too prego yet; when I went to pick up my prescription from the pharmacy, the pharmacist, asked me if I was on birth control, because "this medication can reduce its effectiveness" to which I responded, "sir, I am 30 weeks. I don't think that will make a difference at this point!" He looked very confused after I told him this. I suppose he could have thought I am a little chunky, haha.

This is my first posting, so hope this is what I am supposed to be writing!

Much love,

Liz (& Matt & Macy)