Ryan bakes more cookies

This was the finished product. Notice the very green cookie. He worked on that one for a long time.

He's eating and working at the same time!

The post I've been wanting to write

As the title suggests, I've been waiting to write this for awhile, but I've had to wait for the right timing.

McGee's three will become McGee's four in June 2008... we are expecting again!

I feel I should be more excited, but this pregnancy hasn't been any fun so far. The excitement ended the day after the pregnancy test was positive in the Babies R Us bathroom. (I couldn't bring the test here for the in-laws to see it!) The happiness ended because of a yeast infection. Just not nice.

Then there was morning sickness at week five! Week FIVE people. GRRRR! I went to work and quickly came home. Went to the doctor who wanted me to go to the hospital, but I managed to hold that water in until the parking lot! We got our prescription and it's been better, but not the best.

Then there was the UTI. Can things just stop going wrong down there? Please? Pretty Please?!

Oh no. That would be too easy. Pregnancy always has to be complicated for me. Last time it was my thyroid which made my pregnancy high risk because it's easy to miscarry. We made it though. This time, thyroid problems do the same thing, so I had an ultra sound at seven weeks. Baby's heart rate was fine and things seemed fine.

But the doctor and the ultra sound tech had a conversation in whispers... and I wondered, but she said nothing. Well, until this week when she informs me I need another ultra sound because, "you have a really large ovarian cyst that can cause complications in later months."

Okay don't panic because doc says this can be taken care of early and early is better than too late.

Ultra sound number two lands me in an office with a specialist who explains that during the first trimester most women develop a smaller version of the cyst that I have because it keeps the pregnancy viable until the eighth week when the placenta takes over. The problems is that mine is still the size of a baseball at week nine.

So now we wait until week 13 when we do a third ultra sound. If the cyst has gone away, no need for surgery. If it's still there I get to have surgery while pregnant. Fun, huh? And in the meantime if I feel like I might be miscarrying, I.E. in a lot of pain, get to the ER because it's something to do with the cyst!

So begins the life of Little McGee II. While we're feeling excited about giving Ryan a brother or sister (and we aren't finding out the gender until he or she enters the world...much to my sister-in-laws frustration) we're nervous about the whole cyst thing.

Ryan has no idea about baby, though he puts his head on my stomach and listens sometimes. I think he mostly hears gas or other tummy rumblings. Speaking of tummy rumblings, I've been more hungry this pregnancy than the last. More hungry is not good when you are also not keeping food in most mornings and sometimes in the evenings.

And this, btw, was the secret that my dear friend Sarah leaked to co-workers of Adam's. We didn't want family finding out through them and had planned to wait to tell my in-laws last this time (my parents first since they visit this weekend) but that ruined that plan. Oh well =-)

Now to tell my parents tonight. Maybe I'll take photos and post them here later this week.

Ryan goes trick-or-treating




Ryan went trick-or-treating last night, thanks to a borrowed costume from our neighbours. He really enjoyed getting the treats. He went at Squirt from Finding Nemo. Dada helped him knock on doors, though he is really good at it himself. It was fun and he was just so cute. This is my second attempt of this post. The first one ended badly when Ryan pressed some button that made it all go away!

And then it got around...

Last night we had a lovely dinner with our friends Marie and Mike. It was really nice to see them and their new apartment.

Then we got home.

And there was a message on our answering machine from Adam's newest employee (who is so wonderful) that revealed that someone told another employee something that was supposed to be a secret.

I know I had only told one person. ONE person. And somehow this bit of information had leaked out to one of my husband's employees who was gossipy enough to share with new employee boy who thought we should be aware of such a situation.

I was so mad, but I didn't believe my trusted friend, Sarah C., would not keep a secret. Then dear old husband reminded me that her mother had been nearby when I told said secret and probably missed the part where I said, "but this is just between us, okay."

A little investigation today and we find that it was most likely Sarah C.'s mother-dear.

But still... can't people mind their own business? I'm still in fear that the secret has been told to millions!

USS Albacore

We took a field trip this weekend to the USS Albacore in Portsmouth New Hampshire. The sub was a test ship from 1953 to 1972 and was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. We had fun and are glad we decided to go.

Fall Photo



So many photos of Ryan... I picked this one to share since it's nice and fall-like. He loved this day. We went to Punkin Fiddle and saw lots of animals... he called them all dogs, but hey, it was fun!

Baby Rhyme Time

Ryan went to his first Baby Rhyme Time today. At first he held on for dear life and didn't want to do any of the songs or anything. Then we did some rhymes that involved being bounced on my knee and tickled in the tummy and hew as very much into it then.

The toys came out later and he was very much delighted. Only thing is, being an only child so far, Ryan just walked around and stole toys from other babies, even when he already had a toy. It was kind of funny, but at the same time we'd love for him to learn to share.

And he didn't want to leave, mostly because of the toys.

I am glad we went, even if it took a half hour to get there!

Ear infection and Strep

My ear hurt so bad on Sunday that we went to the urgent care place in Wells. Not only do I have an ear infection, I also have strep. I swear if I get in a 50 foot radius of someone with strep, I get it! My ear hurt so bad that I didn't notice the pain in my throat. My ear still hurts today, but at least I only have one prescription for both ailments.

We moved yesterday too. It's nice to finally be done, but I hated every minute of the move. Ryan is outside with his grandmother laughing right now, so he's happy, and that's good.

Now just to find where we packed everything =-)

My ear hurts and we're moving

This week I've been really tired. Ryan keeps waking up for the day at 5:30 a.m. - not good. Some how it was okay when he was ity bity, but now it's just not fun. This morning he climbed over me, grabbed my hand and took me to the fridge for his milk. He drank it in our bed and then went back to sleep. I am still awake. I think I have an ear infection. It REALLY hurts. It's also Saturday, which means I'll have to wait till Monday to see the doctor. Sigh.

We're also in the process of our big move to the in-law's basement apartment.... well that's what it will be once the living room and bathroom are done. Right now, it's just two bedrooms. We were supposed to move Thursday, but there were some finishing things to do and yesterday I worked 9-6. We're going to move our stuff tomorrow after church.

I know this move will be good for us in terms of getting out of debt from when the newspaper job when south, but I'm not ready for it. I like our house. I don't want to rent it out to strangers (no one wants to buy it, apparently).

Then I read Kathleen's post and thought, maybe my attitude needs to shift from one of grumpiness, negativity, and complaining (and thinking that this won't work out) to one of peace and of 'the hope of the glory of God.'"

In separate news, my friend, Sarah "six months" (so nicknamed because she didn't know she was pregnant with baby number dos until she was six months pregnant) is expecting baby number three. This time, she's just 12 weeks along. We're really excited for them. They're great parents to Trevor and Madison.

In other news, I had wicked cute photos of Ryan to post, but the usb cord that connects from my camer to the computer is not working. Sorry.

Must go take asprin for ear. Will write more after the move.

K-12

I got this idea from my friend Gillie

It's a really neat way to remember life a long time ago... at least it seems like a long time ago.

Kindergarten: My teacher's name was Miss Courtney and she had this puppet that came out on rainy days.

First Grade: Mrs. Cooper was my teacher and I remember my cousin Gina and this boy, Pete sitting at the back of the class. We also wrote really small in this grade. I remember she liked small, neat handwriting.

Second Grade: I had an awesome teacher, Miss Jenkins who married high school P.E. teacher Mr. Fretz. Anyway, I discovered some of my favorite books in her class during reading hour. They are, James and the Giant Peach, Mr. Popper's Penguins and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Also, we did a play and I had the role of the teacher.

Third Grade: Mrs. Malcolm was my teacher. She had a paddle named Big Ben. You never wanted to get hit with Big Ben for being bad in class. I also remember this kid Arthur wet his pants a lot.

Fourth Grade: I had Mr. Tatum for a teacher. He was from Texas and loved to talk about it. I mostly remember spelling bees where he would call out a word and two people would be at the chalkboard. First to spell it right got their team points. Katrina and I used to be paired against each other. We were the fastest.

Fifth Grade: This was a fun year. Nashika came to our school that year. She was cool. Jaton, Nashika and I were really good friends the next two years. Mrs. Hannah had a sleep-over for all the girls and several pool parties for our entire class. Such fun!

Sixth Grade: Jr. Girls Softball Championship lost. Class trip to Orlando. Awesome.

Seventh Grade: I remember a lot about the seventh grade. I could write a book. The thing that stands out most is that there were a lot of teachers "from away" (as they say in Maine). I had to get used to Jamaican, British and several other accents. Miss Neita was a crazy teacher. It was the first year I met Tom Barkley, my math teacher and friend. This was my second year playing Jr. Girls Softball.

Eighth Grade: Hatchet...that book about a boy that gets stranded on an island.... we read the same chapter over and over in Miss Burrows (aka Rummy) class because the woman could not remember anything! We were convinced she was drinking...hence the nickname. She also saved a special seat at the front of the class for the Holy Spirit.

Ninth Grade: Bahamas Junior Certificate Examinations. Miss Button was my Math teacher. She was awesome. This was also the best year in terms of friends from church. We had an awesome group that always hung out together. Good times.

Tenth Grade: Miss Smith was one of my homeroom teachers. I'm not sure if it was this year or the year before, but at some point she painted her VW Beetle (the old school one) like a purple zebra. Senior Girls Softball Team wins championships. I was the catcher.

Eleventh Grade: Long evenings with Jaton and Mr. Brown working on yearbook.

Twelfth Grade: Softball team sucked this year, but I played anyway. I also remember our coursework for BGCSEs (another national exam) where I made a vest and school bag. The two pieces ended up touring the Bahamas.

More Photos


So this was one of three dolphins we saw while boating. The first day I just thought it was a shark, but that it was still cool. We circled around and it came up for air again. I tired to get photos that day, but no luck. The second day there were two. I managed to get a photo of the baby one.


One of the big crabs we caught.


Ryan learns to drive.

Abaco

Our trip to Abaco was wonderful. Adam got lots of rest, which he really needed since he works so hard. His rest included finishing the HP books 5 and 6. He is on to the Deathly Hallows now!

My mum watched Ryan each morning so that I could go fishing with the guys. I really love to fish so this was just wonderful. On Thursday and Friday we caught a lot of fish. Thursday was my lucky day as I pulled in 75 percent of our catch. Oh what fun!

It seems the days went by too fast and we did so much. We have LOTS Of photos. I'll try to post a few here, but they are already up on facebook for those who use that internet tool.


The three of us in the water. We swam just about every night. So relaxing.


My favorite photo from this trip. Ryan explores the water by himself. Then runs to dada because he has sand in his shoes =-)

Another fav of my little boy.

More photos tomorrow.

Trip

We're visiting my parents this weekend (a nice gift from them). Packing stresses me. I've been packing since Monday... I do this before I travel. I'm still worried we will leave something we need for Ryan or something really important like bras or something. Other than that I am really looking forward to the time with my family, days spent exploring the island with Ryan and resting!

Look for photos next Monday.

Counting my blessings

Today I recieved a great surprise in the mail. Dear friends of ours sent is a gift card. It's enough to cover our groceries for almost a month. I cried when I finally figured out what it was. At first I thought there was a mix up at home office, but then it all became very clear.

In addition to this wonderful blessing, I recieved a long e-mail from a long lost friend. His words were very uplifting in a time when things aren't so great. He suggested I count my blessings. He reminded me that while our situation right now seems bleak I have a loving husband, a handsome son, great friends and family and we aren't living on the street!

I counted a few more blessings. Our repairs to the bathroom didn't cost us a lot. My in-laws brought us a pot roast for dinner on Sunday along with lots of goodies that actually helped us make it through the week in terms of lunch food. We are going to visiting my family this weekend.

This list could go on for a long time, but making it lifted my spirits. Yay!

Facebook

So when I started a blog I figured that would be it for me. It's not every day I get to post and I often have to think about what to write or where I stored those photos so I can put them here.

Then an old friend, Scott, invited me to join facebook. At first I was just going to delete the e-mail. I mean I already have a blog that I have a hard time keeping up with and I stink at writing email to friends. Why sign myself up for more failure?

Then I decided to poke around.

And I signed up.

Now I'm addicted.

Did I mention it was just yesterday that I signed up?

Let me tell you what I love about it.

You can find people you haven't heard from in ages... like high school ages. It's really nice to see what people are doing these days. I'd only kept in touch with one high school friend and now I get to see what's happening in so many other lives. People are getting married, having kids, building houses. And you can just post one line-ers on their facebook page... nothing complicated like a long e-mail. You can just say, "hi."

It's easy. Fill in some blanks, add some photos... piece of cake.

I also played a cool game or two.

I just like the site... check it out sometime.

The Peabodys and a butterfly

Here are a few photos from when Marc and Robin visited this past week. I was horrible at taking photos... and we went places together... like Shaines (Sarah, there's a huge sign outside that says "Open Year Round." No need to worry about November) and to Old Orchard Beach... and I have just two photos. I think it's safe to say their most memorable moment of the trip was when Ryan threw up all over the backseat of the car... just kidding! It was great to see them. Reunion in Greenville next year all Greenville-ites from our years there? Anyway there's also a photo of a butterfly that frequents my garden.

Essay Contest

How winning this contest would impact/change my life? (www.metrocast.net/~winmyhouse)

Our friends are in the same situation as we are in terms of owning a house they’d like to sell in order to get a fresh start on life. The only differences are that their house cost way more and they have two children and one on the way.

Last year they tried to sell their home the conventional way. This year, they’ve opted to try something new. They’re holding an essay contest. Write a 250-word essay or less about how winning their wonderful home could change your life and pay an entry fee of $100. If 3,000 people enter they pay off their mortgage and the best writer gets the house.

I told my mom about their creativity and she suggested we enter the contest (she’d give us the $100). Her reasoning is that we have nothing to lose and maybe this is God’s way of helping us out.

Thing is, I don’t know what to write. They want witty writing. They want good grammar and punctuation. They want something so good it would beat out 3,000 other people’s reasons for a house. They don’t want an essay full of clichés, which is what I feel I could give them (maybe that could be witty?).

I’ve started an essay about ten times already (essay deadline: Nov. 30), but I cannot commit to any one of those beginnings. For example: “Winning 28 Park Street would give my family a new lease on life and allow us to spend more time together raising our family the way we feel is right.” That just seems too boring. They want catchy.

So this is our story in the best way I know how to write it.

A young man has always had one dream: to have a family and be the sole provider for his wife and children. While attempting to achieve this dream in the overtaxed and underpaid state of Maine that young man has instead worked so many hours to barely get by that he doesn’t get to spend time with his family. With ever-increasing debt the young man realizes that his dream may never be fulfilled the way he had hoped.

That young man is my husband, Adam, and winning the house at 28 Park Street would make his only dream of providing for his family on his income alone a reality. In addition, it would allow him to spend time with the family he loves so much. Instead of working 12-hour shifts to pay off debt, Adam could work nine hours a day and spend evenings and weekends with his family.

Adam would not miss out on silly events like seeing his son run around the house with a little red cape on his back screaming, “subah man!” Adam and I would get to spend quality time together instead of sleepily telling each other important things about the day as we go to bed at night. Debt would be paid off so we wouldn’t be going to live with our parents in their basement with our one year old. We’d have our independence, we’d have our family and a longtime dream would be fulfilled.

Too redundant? Got any suggestions?

We have time to re-write it. We just want to win!

FAUCET UPDATE

A quick update to the pouring faucet incident. The part cost $35... it's fixed... well mostly. It still leaks a little, but we think we have it figured out. Adam's dad is coming to help us on Sunday. He was supposed to come this eveing, but that didn't work out. Plus our friends Marc and Robin are visiting and we've been spending late evenings with them. For now, the water isn't gushing and the basement is again dry! And $35 is do-able, though still not in the budget. I guess we should count our blessings!

LEAKING FAUCET

Ever have one of those nights that just makes the whole week stink? Well that was last night.

We had a leak in the bathroom faucet. It wasn't so bad a few weeks ago then last night it was just bad. So, Adam said tightening a screw would help. Oh no! It did not help. The water just started POURING out. Then we shut off the valve to the bathroom and the water started pouring in our basement. After 15 minutes we finally discover the well hidden valve that turns off the water from outside. GRRR! We really have no spare cash to fix said mess, but let's face it... we need to shower, do dishes... all that stuff.

So at 9:30 last night Adam's dad came to help us see if it was a simple fix. No such luck. Today we go to purchase parts with no money to spare. I swear we have the worst luck with this stuff. A month ago it was our car that we absolutly need to fix, but didn't have $800 to fix it with, but had to anyway.

Our house is on the market, but has only seen one couple who aren't ready to buy just yet. The money situation stinks right now. Adam works SO MUCH. I work, but ony days he doesn't work because we can't put Ry in day care nor can we afford another car. It just sucks. We just want a fresh start and it's not happening.

Now to go help fix the mess that happened last night!

RYAN LEARNS TO BAKE

On rainy days I wonder what to do with Ry. He loves to be outside so these days are difficult if they cannot be broken up with time at the park or in the yard. Today was one of those days. He was being so good until about 3 p.m. I decided to let him learn to bake. I watched his every move, of course. He helped put the flour in the bowl, put the cookies on the cookie sheet and begged to take them off when they were done, but that was my job! He loved standing on the chair next to me (we've done this before when I've had to cook or wash dishes and he wants to see what's going on)and thought it was cool to move the cookies into one large cluster on the sheet. We really had fun.

In addition to baking, he's learned how to put shoes on and so he brought Adam's shoes to me and put his little feet inside and sat around for a little while just looking at the shoes.

Enjoy the photos!


Wearing dad's shoes.


I like putting the cookies on the cookie sheet.


I'm so strong I can pick this up and give it to mum to put in the oven.


Ryan waits for the cookies to get out of the oven. (He was not allowed to take them off the cookie sheet... he had to watch mum do that job.)