Thursday, July 28, 2011

Crunch time!

So this pregnancy is winding down and while it is sad this will be our last I am just looking forward to the new challenges that are going to come our way. I have hit 36 weeks and this is the farthest I have gone in a pregnancy. I never felt this big with Ethan although this time around everyone says I am small. Actually let me rephrase that: woman think I look small but men think I am huge; so there is definitely a different perspective when it comes to male and female perceptions of pregnancy.

As we were laying in bed tonight reading to Ethan before his bedtime, I could not help but think how different our lives are going to be in less than two weeks. Will we still be able to have our special time with Ethan? Will Ethan feel like he is not as important as he was being an only child? Will the boys get along? While the amount of questions are endless,  I think our little family will manage just fine. Ethan is our helper and has always been our helper, so I think he will do a fantastic job of helping us with the new baby. I am not prepared for him to not be the baby anymore so that is another struggle I am dealing with. I guess the idea of Ethan growing up and becoming more independent was put into perspective when I was washing the baby's clothes this past weekend. I held up one of the onesies to Ethan and he just made it look even smaller. All I could think of was when Ethan was born and how 0-3 month clothing just swallowed him. Now to see a 0-3 month outfit next to him and realize just how big he has gotten is a little overwhelming but awesome at the same time.

There were also two birthdays in the family this week! Mr. Jim McCabe (my dad) and my brother, Marc,  celebrated another year of life. So my dad is now in his 52nd year of life and my brother is in his 28th (that's for you grandpa!) This was the first year in a long time that we were not together celebrating both birthdays. While we could've risked it and traveled to Lynchburg, we decided it was probably not in our best interests just in case I had to deliver in Lynchburg. The doctors there do not know my history and my doctor here always tells me that I better not have this baby without him. So next year we will most likely do the normal celebration, plus one more family member :)

Another bright spot of news for us is that Justin has decided to go back to school and get that oh so important degree. Nowadays you have to have a degree to really be successful in life and I am just so elated that he has decided to do this not only for himself but also for all of us. He will start in August and while school was a struggle for me, I am more than confident he will be successful in this adventure, even with a newborn and a two year old running around!

So I guess that is all for us this week!

Until next time...

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Hmmmm...

So it was brought to my attention this morning that I have been neglecting my blog. It's not that I have forgotten about it, it's just that I feel I do not have much to share since school has ended, we are getting ready for baby #2, and there is nothing really new to report. But I promised a special lady I would comment on some things so here goes (just for you Gigi McCabe)!

I guess you could say I reached a milestone this week pregnancy-wise. We have finally hit 35 weeks! When I was pregnant with Ethan this is what happened at 35 weeks:
my sweet boy was born and our lives were forever changed. He was and still is perfect and the only regret I have about the whole experience is that I do not remember meeting him and it was not until the next day that we were properly introduced. He was jaundiced, thin, and needed some help learning how to feed but all I could remember when I met him was that I could not believe he was mine. I kept looking at him as if someone were going to tell me he was not mine because he was just so handsome. I do not find many babies attractive when they are born (sorry moms but I cannot help it) but I immediately recognized Ethan was the most beautiful baby I had ever laid eyes on. I wonder if Luke/Colin will be just as handsome?  I know all moms are supposed to think their children are adorable, beautiful, and the best looking but my mom will tell you when my brother was born she thought they handed her the wrong baby because my brother simply was NOT a looker. I, on the other hand, was the most beautiful baby some of the nurses had ever seen. So time will tell if Luke/Colin will measure up to his big brother but I think he will!

I have also been hard at work trying to get the boys' room together because I have this overwhelming feeling that Luke/Colin will be born earlier than projected. So here is the progress so far:


We also have one more piece of furniture to put together (JUSTIN!), get painted, and then fill with clothes and we should be good to go with making sure we are ready for the baby. On Wednesday (7/20/11) we have three weeks (give or take) until he will be here, so I am definitely feeling the time crunch but I know we will have it all ready!

And I guess I could report that while I was originally planning on returning to school at the end of August, I think I am going to put it on hold at least until the 2012 Spring semester. I kind of have a hinkering to explore the world of real estate. I have received some really interesting information and while it would not be a full-time venture to start since the market is the way it is, I do not think it would be a bad idea to get my foot in the door. This is still very early in the works and I have not made my mind up about it completely, but I figure it would be another thing to add to my resume and hopefully become successful at not only for me but also for my family.

So the last week or so has been great and here's to another great week!

Until next time....

Friday, July 8, 2011

Hello Master!

Well I am happy to report: I DID IT! I just completed the last assignment I had for my Masters degree!!! So now I have a Masters of Arts in Human Services specializing in Marriage and Family.  I started on this journey in August 2010 and taking a full course load each semester has allowed for me to be finished before the one year mark and well before the five year time limit! I will not walk in graduation until May 2012 but it does not make this seem any less real!

It has been a long journey with late nights, missed nights out, and exhaustion like you would not believe but I am thankful for the love and support I have been shown while completing this chapter in my life. When I graduated with my Bachelors degree ages ago (2005), I swore to myself I would never go back to school but we are living in different times and having a Masters degree almost seems necessary so when I was passed up for a promotion, I decided that I had had enough! I applied to school, was accepted, and started my journey. Now all I can think about is what is next? Where do I go from here?
I told Justin the other night that I just do not know what I am going to do with myself now that I do not have to spend countless nights completing discussion postings, writing endless papers, and taking quizzes. He simply replied to me "relax and get ready for the baby". So that is what I will do. I have toyed around with the idea of continuing in school and obtaining a post graduate degree as an Education Specialist and while this is still my plan, right now my main focus is getting this house and our lives ready for Luke/Colin.

So this weekend I will take the time to paint the boys' room, do laundry, clean the house, and hang out with my two awesome boys and bask in the glory of completing another chapter in my school career.

Below is a picture from my undergraduate graduation. Graduate school picture to come May 2012.

 Have a great weekend everyone!

Until next time....

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Heap!

My grandfather can be described just as all of the McCabe's can be described: strong willed, smart, intense at times, and only striving for the best. He was a Marine and I guess still is because as the saying goes "once a Marine, always a Marine". He is politically conservative, outspoken, and for the most part keeps everyone on their toes. He wants people to do their best, be their best, and be treated the best and while sometimes he can be intense, all he wants is for his wife, children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren to be happy and get out of life what we all deserve!

Today was an exciting day for our family and I can finally share that Justin and I have a date for the arrival of our second baby boy. August 10, 2011 has been put on the books and I have my doctor, Dr. Lockhart, to thank for making this a very special day not only for us but also for the rest of the family, especially my grandfather because his birthday is also August 10th.  I would've preferred to keep the entire day a secret from him until Luke/Colin was born, but I know how my family works so I know my grandfather would've found out well before the end of the week :) So that gives us exactly 5 weeks from today to finish getting ready. I am starting to get nervous but I also know when the day finally arrives I will have peace knowing that we will be taking home another miracle and completing our little family.

So happy early birthday grandpa! Fingers crossed Luke/Colin does not come early and hopefully the week Luke/Colin is born will be a great week for you and not a sh*tty one ;) !

Below are some pictures Heap:
My brother and I with our grandfather during Chirstmas

Mom and Grandpa

The Heap



Until next time....