The nursery so far...and more!

Well, since Lori is off travelling with Jelly Bean in Alaska, I thought I would update the blog with some video of the nursery so far. Much more to do in there! Lori hasn't seen things here at home in awhile so there is a bunch of video with some stuff you probably won't care too much about...like Abbi and I getting attacked by our Purple Martins and the size of our broccoli. I just want to get Lori's opinion before I keep working and this is the easiest way to show her. Check it out if you're interested but if you only want to see the nursery, this is at the end of the video. Almost July and counting...October will be here before we know it and Jelly Bean will make his grand appearance!

Jelly Bean does AK...

So here we are in Alaska - Jelly Bean has been kicking away the whole trip so far. :) So far JB has done some camping out in the wilderness of Denali National Park, and he was with me when I got to see some pretty cool wildlife: grizzlies & their cute cubs (climbing trees!!), caribou, moose, dall sheep, a wolf, a fox, and tons of snowshoe hares. We did some good hiking out in the wilderness, too. Someday we'll have to come back when he can really see it all for himself! :) (And when I have more energy to do a little more activity here.) Tomorrow we're going kayaking in the Prince William Sound, then Mon-Tues we head down to Seward to camp again & take a boat out to see some arctic marine life. Hopefully we'll see some otters & sea lions & whales!

So this week JB's as big as a mango - can't believe he is 23 weeks old now! And seriously, as big as my belly is getting, it's kinda hard for me to believe that he's ONLY as big as a mango - I'd guess he was as big as a pumpkin in there!! :) I certainly feel him moving much more frequently, and his kicks are easy to feel outside my belly now. I can almost feel the vibrations echo through the rest of my body! I am definitely getting tired more frequently & more easily, too - I get short of breath just going up a set of steps. And I'm always ready to fall asleep pretty early, not quite the night owl I've always been anymore. Definitely feeling tired & exhausted here in Alaska - lots of walking & activity.

I've read that at this point, Jelly Bean can feel me moving around - like if I'm swaying or dancing, he can feel the movement inside. I wonder how much he'll feel when we're kayaking tomorrow? Maybe he'll feel the movement on the water...pretty cool! And I know he is hearing sounds now, too - he should be used to Abbi's bark before he meets her. :)

Steve has been setting up our nursery - we got a lot of our furniture at IKEA, and now we have a glider, too. :) I hope to get some pictures up soon....hopefully in the next blog entry!! Jelly Bean & I need to get home safely from Alaska first.

It's a....

BOY!!! :) And he's got quite a kick these days!! It was so exciting to have our ultrasound yesterday. The best part was seeing his little hand opening & closing...so precious!! It was simply amazing. It's nice to be able to say "him" now, too!!

Today was our last day of school, and my wonderful 5th graders completely surprised me with a baby shower!! I was definitely surprised, and I was so amazed at the kindness and number of gifts!! We got lots of little onesies, cute hoodie-towels, socks, diapers....tons of stuff that we will certainly need and definitely enjoy!! I was so touched....what an unforgettable class. And MANY THANKS to LeAnne, Laurie, & Tammy who helped plan it all!!! What wonderful friends!!! :)

That's it for now - more later....just wanted to announce that it's definitely a BOY!!! Yay!!! Now it's time for the name game - but the name won't be announced til birth. :)

Baby McNew's 1st Marathon!

Baby McNew got to run his/her very first marathon on Sunday!!







Or to more accurately put it, JB got to run/WALK the first marathon!! :) I had signed up for a marathon before finding out I was pregnant, and decided to do it anyway, just very slowly & cautiously. There was not much training involved at all (the longest I've been able to run the past few months is 9 miles), but I figured I'd walk most of it anyway. So we started off strong - we ran the first 10 miles, then stopped to walk for about 3 miles, then ran every other mile. My parents & friend Katie(who is currently 31 weeks pregnant!!) were there, what great supporters! Very pregnant Katie even walked the last 3 miles of the marathon with me, so we actually did cross the finish line...just under 6 hours!! I think they were pretty close to shutting down the course by the time we got to the finish. But we did it!! :) Thanks to my wonderful supporters!! Boy, did we ever feel sore the next couple days. Being pregnant made my back & knees especially hurt from the impact of the running - the marathon was wonderful tho, and definitely one I'll do again (great incentive for next year!!). It was on a rail trail, so all flat and relatively soft surfaces. Nice!

In other news, we are heading out this wknd to purchase our "travel system" (it's not just a "stroller" anymore!) and pack & play. Fun stuff!!

Jelly Bean has been kicking a LOT!! I felt some real kicks for the first time on Memorial Day, first thing in the morning - 3 solid kicks! Since then, I feel little JB kicking and moving around more frequently. Steve still hasn't felt it, tho. :(

We are so excited to find out if it is a boy or girl next Thursday!! 142 days til due date....