How Do We Have A 5 Month Old?!

McKenna turned 5 months last Saturday. And I feel like that happened in a blink of an eye. Girl, stop growing up.

She loves her exersaucer and apples and bananas and squash. She has a new trick: rolling from her back to her front. She is still doing amazing at daycare and every time we drop her off we get to hear about how she is the favorite baby and how everyone loves her.  She is trying REALLY hard to be a big kid and sit up on her own, but she is not quite there yet.  She loves being sung to. She loves mommy dancing for her. She loves Veggies Tales. And she has the BEST giggle ever.  Seriously – so much joy.  She is in 9 month clothes and is just HUGE! Everyone comments on her chunky little thighs.  The last 5 months have been a challenge and easy at the same time. But SO SO SO very worth it!!

5 for Friday {thankful edition}

Every year I have so much to be thankful for, but this year I feel like I have A LOT to be thankful for. Obviously, I am thankful for every member of my family and my friends and my job and that I have a warm house to come home to every day. but these 5 things I am especially thankful for this year! =D

{one}
THIS LITTLE THING! McKenna has brought unimaginable joy to my life.  And while it has not always been easy and I picked up MRSA bringing her into this world and I have cried many frustrated tears, it has been worth it. I just love waking up to her baby babble on the weekends and her happy baby smiles make me realize I have to be doing something right.  She has given me so many fun times, good laughs, and fun memories in the short 4 months. She has given me a whole new perspective on life and for once a solid work life balance.  I look forward to going to work, but I love coming home to her and my little family.  And even though I feel like she is growing up too fast already, I really cannot wait to watch her grow up.  it is crazy to me that this time last year, she was our little secret and now we get to share her with our family and friends. 

{two}
Kyle J. I really could not have a better husband and McKenna is one lucky lady to have him as her Dad. And even though I am insanely jealous that he is the only one that can make her laugh so far, the Daddy & McKenna moments are something that bring me a joy that I cannot even begin to put into words. Kyle has been my #1 supporter and fan through all the struggles and tears of trying to figure out this parenting thing. And when it would have been understandable for him to think I was losing my mind and going crazy as I cried for days over little things, he never once made me feel like my feelings or emotions were irrational. I love that he constantly remembers that even though we are both busy and tired we still need to put our relationship first and spend quality time together.  McKenna and I are both so very lucky to have Kyle in our lives.

{three}
My parents & McKenna’s Grandparents. They have been so helpful this year which the HUGE life change Kyle and I went through.  From helping take care of the dogs while I was in the hospital for 6 days, to making dinner every night and washing bottles and clothes when they were staying with us while we were trying to get this parenting thing under control.  And then they dropped everything to come back to help take care of little M when we found out that my c-section was infected with MRSA. And now with them so close, we can call in a favor when needed to help take care of the little one when we have to work.  And, you can obviously tell that they love our little girl so much.  McKenna is going to be SO lucky to grow up knowing her Grandma & Granddad and seeing them often.

{four}
my best friend is engaged. Yes, I am thankful for  this! Because I have never met a girl who is such a good friend and who is amazingly beautiful both on the outside and inside. Her strong roots in faith, family, and friends makes her just an amazing person.  And while we can go weeks without talking, when we do it is like we just had lunch a week ago. in fact, when she called me at 8:00 on a Friday night, I just knew the news she was about to tell me and when she said, “Barbie.” my next words were, “Stop.” – I am so lucky to have her in my life and so grateful that a little place called Mugshots brought us together years ago!! I cannot believe it has taken this long for her to be off the market, but Greg is an great guy and he is so lucky to have Heather in his life forever.  Now, I cannot wait to help her plan her wedding and help her celebrate her big day,

 {five}
my health. this year has been quite the whirlwind for health “problems”.  I had a healthy and easy pregnancy and for that, I am forever grateful. And with the exception that McKenna just didn’t want to “come” I had a fairly easy labor. But then I found out that my C-Section was infected with MRSA and it took about 7 weeks post partum to determine that so I am grateful that it never spread and that it didn’t hospitalize me.  And then I got the melanoma diagnosis and while we went in hoping for the best, we also had to brace ourselves for the worst. Again, luckily it was caught early and it hadn’t spread and now I just get to be extra diligent about my skin care and sun exposure. And while I beat myself up for not being able to work out and lose the baby weight and still being in maternity clothes and unable to wear my rings 4 months post baby I have to remember all that I have been through and that I have been medically not allowed to really work out.  But, I get to be thankful for my health and that I was given a today. 

2014 has been a pretty spectacular year. Not gonna lie. Full of life changes and huge adjustments. But, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.

Little Miss is 4 Months {and some}!

This is a smidge overdue. Sorry!!  Full Time. Working Mom here. Took the pictures had to move them to the right computer. forgot. sue me. =D

Percentiles: >97%
Height: 27.5 inches
Weight: 19 pounds
Clothes Size:  9 months

Little Miss really is just the portrait of perfection. We are loving watching her grow up and develop and learn new things. Her Smile. It just brightens our day. And she is starting to giggle. So when we get a giggle. You have no idea how much that warms our heart.  She loves all the same things – stroller rides, her birdies, and her rainforest toy. But she also LOVES when Daddy lifts her in the air over his head. Everyone at daycare adores her & daycare has been amazing for her.  Hard on us – we sometimes feel like we are watching her grow up from the sidelines – but we know she is thriving and learning and developing and just so loved and taken care of. She has started sitting in a high chair and we got the green light to start solids and plan to once she kicks this RSV. We bought her an exersaucer and there are not enough words to describe how much she loves it. EVERYTHING goes in her mouth currently and due to lots of drool she is forever sporting a bib & we are realizing we didn’t buy enough burp clothes to sop it all up.

I LOVE Saturday mornings and the 9:30 AM feeding. Kyle and McKenna play beauty parlor (hair brushing and manicure) after chow time is over and they watch College Gameday together. McKenna loves football. It is probably one of the cutest things ever.

We are excited for her 1st Thanksgiving and then her 1st Christmas. We have already decided to fill her stocking with necessities we need like baby spoons and socks and baby food. She won’t know and nor will she care.

But. It has been an amazing 4 months so far.  While I want to freeze time and constantly tell her to slow down the growing, I am excited for the next developments and the new tricks she will learn!!

5 on a Friday–Christmas

{this was supposed to post yesterday. but as a new mom. with a sick kid and sick myself + working 40.00 hours per week with like 1.5 hour commutes this week, I forgot to hit post. sue me.}

Christmas is RIGHT around the corner and I am way behind on my Christmas shopping. I am actually at a total loss for about 80% of my family and friends so I think I will be dragging my feet and buying rushed gifts this year. Whoops. I can blame it on the infant, right?!

I feel like as you get older, the things you want for Christmas cannot be bought. But, as I do every year. it is time to list out my CCL (Coveting Christmas List) and I am going to rank them from 5 to 1 – 5 being the don’t get your hopes up, it ain’t happening sista … to 1 being this is a totally logical gift that could end up under your tree. With that said, let me begin.

{ FIVE }
New countertops, new sink, and new faucets. Granite to be specific. I am so tired of bleaching coffee stains & black marks from our trivets out of the out of date ‘80s white countertops we have.  I know that in the grand scheme of reality, Kyle wouldn’t let upgrade the kitchen anytime soon either due to the financial costs of having a baby.  But goodness – I would love for some new tan countertops.

{FOUR}
Tory Burch Everything. The York Handbag to be specific (In either the dark brown, light brown, or black), a new pair of Caroline flats (size 10 in any color but gray), and a new wrap bracelet in a fun color. I feel like I am due for a new handbag and I bought a pair of Caroline’s during Friends & Family and those are my new Revas and well, I love her wrap bracelets. And let’s be honest, I cannot even hide my adoration for all things Tory.

{THREE}
Decorative Wall Décor for our house.  We have put a pause on all things decorating and revamping of our house due to wanting to conserve money and not spend outside our means.  So adult like.  Which means – we aren’t finishing our house as much as we would like.  It happens. We have a baby.  but I would love the wooden sign off Etsy for over our bed or the 3 Ivory Tiles from Pottery Barn for over our guest bed.

{TWO}
Crate & Barrel White Canisters.  I had bought 1 a few years back for sugar and LOVED it.  it is sturdy and the clamp thing is high quality and I was in love and knew I wanted more but had no reason {at the time to buy more} and then they stopped making them which I realized when I went to register for more for our wedding. So, we registered for some from Bed, Bath, & Beyond and they ended up looking good & actually being crap {guess the $19.95 price tag should have been a warning}. In fact there is a small one that was never used that is just taking up pantry space that needs to make a trip to our local Goodwill.  Now, Crate & Barrel has the white canisters back and I want like 3 of them – 1 in each size.  Plus I love the little chalkboard piece so you can label the canister since currently I have to open each one to find the rice or the flour. And, I have an unhealthy obsession with all things Crate and Barrel because their stuff is high quality and good looking.  Oh the saga of being a home owner who wants a pretty organized pantry. =D

{ONE}
Gift cards. Gift Cards. And more gift cards. Since our allowances were cut significantly with the birth of our precious baby girl, my cash flow to do things like buy new clothes or go to spin class has been cut.  And with my desire to go to spin one day a week in the morning since Flywheel is so close to me I would love gift cards there.  Or to The Loft or to The Limited where I legit buy all my clothes for work.  I seriously do not know how people have more than 1 kid and still make ends meet & I can tell you we are NOT living outside of our means, just sticking to a very tight budget. So, gift cards are key to me being able to do fun things and buy pretty things. 

And, shameless plug: not sure you if people shop online, but if you do… you should do all your shopping through EBates. If you start your shopping trip there and then go to the store, you get cash back for each purchase.  to date, I have received like $200 back, it isn’t a lot, but it is nice to get a check from them 4 times per year.  Sign up HERE. Right now I have $8.00 pending and I just got a check like 2 weeks ago. 

Everyone have a fabulous holiday season – it will be a semi fun one for us since it  will be M’s first Christmas! But…. what is on your Holiday want list?!

We saw Santa … before Thanksgiving.

THIS. IS. A. BIG. DEAL.

Let me first set the scene. I pre-registered my email address for McKenna to see Santa at Phipps back in like March. Maybe earlier. But seeing Santa at Phipps is like an Atlanta tradition and rumor has it, homeboy makes six figures in 2 short months because he is LEGIT.  Emails started going out to reserve your spot to see Santa [ yes, you have to make an appointment to see Santa ] near the end of September and they send out 300 emails per day until all the slots are reserved. Well. September ended and I still had not received my email and the panic that hard started, it got worse.  Then October rolled a round and daily, nothing.  THEN FINALLY on the 6th of October, McKenna Marie Shanahan was invited to see Santa at Phipps for the first time. And when I say I dropped everything at work to grab a spot… I DROPPED EVERYTHING. My children-less coworkers thought I was losing my mind, but I don’t care, McKenna was invited to see Santa at Phipps. And when I got to the page to book our appointment there was one weekend day left and the earliest Santa was available that day was 6:45 PM.  And I paid my $20 [ $15 of which gets credited to your photo packed ] and booked that 6:45 PM appointment on NOVEMBER 1st. Yes. McKenna got to visit Santa before Thanksgiving. But this is me not caring.  We got a coveted spot to see Santa at Phipps.

So fast forward. it isn’t even Thanksgiving and McKenna got to see Santa.  She told Santa she wanted books and an exersaucer and clothes and Baby Einstein DVDs and fun age appropriate toys {whatever those may be}.  BUT! She did really really well.  She was more confused what was going on and why there was a weird man shaking maracas at her. This all explains the dazed look.  But I will have to say, it was a good experience and not having to wait in a long line to see Santa is worth the pre-registration fee.

I cannot wait for the adorable Christmas cards we ordered this week! And I cannot wait to make this a family tradition.  Maybe in the future I won’t have to stress over if we will get an email invite or not.  But, it was well worth it.

Oh – and Santa came to daycare yesterday.  Evidently she did very good with that Santa too.  Wonder what she told that Santa she wanted. =D

Halloween! {foto friday x4}

McKenna “celebrated” her 1st Halloween this year!  And by “celebrated” I mean, went to daycare and rode in the stroller during their Halloween parade.  Came home for a quick photo shoot and then quickly passed out and slept through ALL the trick-or-treaters + barking dogs barricaded upstairs.

(1) McKenna came home today with a pudding painted pumpkin from arts and crafts at daycare.  The purpose was to help her with some of her senses. Texture – pudding + pumpkin. Smell – Pudding. Taste – pumpkin. Admit it, it is cute. The pumpkin won’t make it till next year, but it is still cute.

(2) McKenna and her little buddy Madelyn during the daycare Halloween parade. M looks REAL amused! HA!

(3) McKenna and Momma in her fun Halloween outfit from her Great Auntie Jean.  She was ADORABLE in it and I am still a little annoyed (but not really) none of the daycare teachers mentioned how cute she was in it yesterday.

(4) And McKenna is her Disney princess onesie dress.  She supposed to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid, but it is kinda a stretch.  Don’t worry M, next year, we are going ALL out!!

Halloween was fun. But, we cannot wait till next year when we can see her march in the Halloween Parade dressed to the nines (yes we will take off work) and then go trick-or-treating with her. People. I am SO excited for my future.

And. I can’t wait for all you moms to start posting your Halloween posts.  So, start writing ladies!

<< Insert Title Here >>

I HAVE NO ENERGY TO THINK OF A WITTY FUN TITLE. NOR AM I CREATIVE. PLUS I AM EXHAUSTED AND ITCHING FOR THE WEEKEND.

McKenna’s 1st Family 5k:
We “ran” the Big Pumpkin 5k in Roswell.  I think this was my 3rd  time running this race and I have always liked it.  Good mix of hills and flat road. The kids who were part of a running “team” were ADORABLE and while I want M to stay little forever, it made me so excited for her Elementary School days.  Moving on: we rocked the race if I do say so myself. We finished in 40:59 … which isn’t my best 5k time … but it is really good for the fact that I really have not been running anything hilly with McKenna in the stroller or really running at all. Little Miss slept the whole time and Kyle (who finished in 28:52 & beat his last 5K time) cam back to meet us.  I still think that we would have finished faster had the finish line not been littered with speed bumps!!!

Health Update:
monday was my eye appointment. and honestly, I was terrified for bad news. my eyes have always been wonky, feeling heavy and randomly blurry. I was terrified I would get bad news since I honestly have no idea how long I had melanoma on back.  However, after to say “my doctor found melanoma” out loud to a medical professional {which makes it feel so much more real} and crying a bit I got a comprehensive eye exam and my eyes were given a clean bill of health.

tuesday was the appointment with the skin cancer specialist. terrified doesn’t even begin to cover how scared I was. full disclosure: over the weekend I had my 1st emotional breakdown since I was told that I had melanoma. I was scared for Kyle and McKenna and if they would be ok if anything happened to me and I didn’t want to miss anything – I had an ugly cry to kyle. And I cried at the doctor Tuesday. Truthfully, I was scared that my laziness in going to the dermatologist was legit going to kill me. WELL. We got some good news. Yes, I have (had?) melanoma, but it looks like it was caught early. So it was stage 1A and .33 millimeters deep. Which means the probability of it spreading to my organs etc is like 5%.  And they cut that bad boy out and I will have like a 6” scar on my back and now we wait to see to make sure the margins are clear and it hadn’t spread to any other parts of the skin.  I have one more mole that is going to be removed in December, and I will find out hopefully sooner than later that they 100% cleared all the melanoma out this week.

I do still have my physical on Monday to ensure that nothing has spread and to just get an overall assessment of my health.  Fingers crossed that all goes well.

I would be lying if I wasn’t bummed about my working out instructions or better yet, my instructions to not work out for what seems like an eternity. AN ETERNITY I TELL YOU. Because of where my excision took place this week I cannot work out (other than walking and running and bis and tris) for 2 months. That means no Blast900 and no Flywheel and no Pure Barre till December.  Well… let me add salt to the wound. I have the 2nd mole being removed in December and it is in the same general area on my back, which means I cannot work out for 2 months after that. Giving me a total of 4 months of non of my amazing studio workouts.  I.AM.NOT.HAPPY.

I was just starting to fall back in love with Pure Barre and got the 3 months unlimited Baby Bounce Back & luckily the owner in Dunwoody is amazing & she is allowing me to hold off on starting the 3 months till February. Flywheel opened their 3rd location practically in my backyard and I was booked for 2 rides this weekend – had to cancel – and I cannot start my #dawnpatrol 5:30 AM rides with them until 2015.  People. I was counting.down.the.days. till they opened and now I have to wait.  And… Blast well you know the drill.  And they are being superb also because my package expires before when I can use all the classes.  Well, they are going to credit me my classes once I am back in action.  I know in the grand scheme of things I shouldn’t be so worried and worked up over my studios being out of my life for 4 months, but I need those extra hard workouts sometimes and I still have like 20 pounds to lose post McKenna.

In Other News:

Stay tuned for Halloween costume pictures and how the Santa visit goes this weekend!!

Wear Sunscreen, Yo.

LIFE.
IT IS JUST THAT. LIFE.

So. Where to begin. Kyle’s sister and boyfriend came into town last weekend. It was fun. Low key and fun. I was glad that McKenna got to meet her Auntie Katie and “Uncle” Joel. And people. SHE WAS SO GOOD. This little baby of ours. Pure Joy.

McKenna is thriving in daycare. She is reaching for toys. and is like a few weeks away from sitting up on her own. and she is just so big now. I adore her and cannot wait to snuggle with her all weekend!

We have our 1st family 5k tomorrow and I am excited to bundle M up and get back to running and racing. I LOVE this 5k and I hope McKenna wins her age group. =D

And McKenna goes to see Santa on November 1. Which I am so excited about. 1st Santa at Phipps experience. We are so excited to start our traditions.  And. Santa at Phipps is one of those traditions.

AND.
IF I CAN BUG YOU?
CAN I REQUEST SOME PRAYERS?
PLEASE?

Last Friday I went to the dermatologist at the urging of Kyle and I am grateful he asked me to go. He thought some moles were odd. Nope. They were fine. But there were others that were odd. 3 biopsies later, I found out 1 was abnormal, but they think they removed it all {which I hope they did because hi, yeah, it still hurts 1 week later} and 2 came back not good. Melanoma not good. 1 worse than the other.

When you Google melanoma it pretty much tells you that is it dangerous and you will die. And you don’t even have to open a web site to see that – it is just there. BOOM. Thanks Goog for the high five of confidence. ‘Preciate It.  Then you tell people you have melanoma and they act like it ain’t no thing – that it can be removed and  you will be fine.  And then Kyle asks, “B, do you have Cancer” and I have NO IDEA how to answer that question because I don’t know. I guess? Maybe? Yes, but it isn’t a big deal? And then I feel like Cancer & “not a big deal” don’t belong in the same sentence. I don’t know what I have or anything about it. I didn’t think to ask questions. Honestly, I didn’t even know what she was saying until I googled the word “melanoma”. I don’t even know what questions to ask on Tuesday.

I just got a phone call telling me to go get an eye exam to make sure there is nothing wrong with my eyes {begin panic – is that why my vision has been blurry and wonky?!} since it can spread to the eyes. And to get a physical to make sure nothing has spread any where else. And  that the skin cancer surgeon will call me to get me in ASAP for surgery/removal.  And that I have to go to the dermatologist every 3 months for 1 year and then every 6 months for 5 years.  I mean – how can  you not worry when those are your marching orders?!  And then I now panic about any knife to skin since I had freaking MRSA after my C-Section. Y’all. I can’t.

So, Monday I have my eye appointment.  then Tuesday I have my mole removal surgery and then my physical is the following Monday. And I am being immature and petty and worrying about the wrong things, Like I should be worrying about the outcomes and if it spread, but my shallow, vain concerns surrounds me potentially not being able to work out post surgery. My documents say, “no working out for 2 months” because of where the mole is … and that just makes me RAWR.  I am loving my Pure Barre routine and my spin studio just opened in Alpharetta. I am finally getting OK with how I look post pregnancy and I can’t {correction, don’t want to} take 2 months off.

But. Deep Breath. Any prayers you want to lift up or good thoughts you want to give me or whatever you do, I won’t turn them away. And. I will keep you posted on how everything goes.

Until then. Have a rocking weekenddddddd! =D

Oh and Roll Tide, Beat Tennessee!

5 things friday. Speed Edition.

I have 15 minutes to get this done before M’s bath time – so ignore all the grammar mistakes and incomplete sentences.

1. My anxiety level is at like a 14 this morning until I hear from kyle how mulligan and kennesaw’s trial day at daycare went.  They used to go all the time. then we moved and became bad dog parents and stopped socializing them. now we need to figure out a plan about who is going to watch the crazy kids when we are in Virginia since my brother does not appear to be an option this year.  my anxiety level wouldn’t be sky high if kennesaw wasn’t giving us problems, like biting a little white dog that was harassing us. Le Sigh. Or if she wasn’t having slight leash aggression issues. And we never should have stopped socializing them. Again. Le Sigh. ‘

{and break. must start bath water and take the baby upstairs – which means she will wake up and cry because well, she still does not nap at daycare.}

2. I have been back at work for a little over a week and it feels great to be back. I am busy revamping our training program’s content so I am becoming a PowerPoint genius. And I am for sure staying busy which is all I want and require and need. Of course I miss her, but it is so good to know she is in such amazing hands.  It takes A LOT of the worry away.

3. I started back at Pure Barre to help the process of getting my body back. And I forgot how hard it is, but also how dang boring it is.  But I am going 3 days a week at lunch since I bought 1 month unlimited and I know I will see some results since I have done this unlimited month thing before.  But it reminds me how much I need a high energy, high impact workout class to keep my attention, and keep me going.  Pure Barre = yawn.

4. I am late to the Gone Girl party, but I am hooked on this book.  I have about 40 pages left to go and there is just not enough time in the day to read. I need to take a mental health day just to read.  Confession: I was late to work yesterday because I was reading in the car and lost track of time.  Whoops!

5. I am legit freaked out by this Ebola thing. I saw Outbreak as a child and that is not something I want to live through or be around. I will 100% go back to being sequestered in my house with McKenna if that means we will not catch the Ebola and our bad dogs didn’t have to get euthanized because we have the Ebola. And that is all I will say about that.

But I gotta go back to Mom duties. Making the bottle and all that jazz!

McKenna Goes To Daycare!

McKenna survived her first few days of daycare and I survived my first few days back at the office. Kyle and I may have watched the daycare webcams a zillion and one times and had to call to have our “views” reset, but it was fun to just see her and her little excited legs kicking and having a good time.  Girl hasn’t really napped there so we bring home an exhausted baby, but it appears that she is having fun.  For me, I was a little rusty and a little weepy for the 1st morning back but once I realized M is in REALLY good hands and really occupied it all became easier. Not that I do not miss her and our time together – but it is good to get back to work and away from barking dogs that drive me nuts.

The coolest thing about this daycare place is that they send us pictures throughout the day of things she is doing/has done.  We got a lot of pictures the first few days and Friday and today we have not received any pictures, so my crazy husband, emailed the daycare assistant director asking how often we should get pictures. [And I thought I was going to be the crazy annoying parent]

BUT. LOOK AT HOW STINKING ADORABLE SHE IS!! 

I love that she gets to go outside on the swings! And then she has a swing in the infant room that she seems to like, but let me tell you … she LOVES the little blue thing with the fish. we can just watch her little feet kick in excitement through the webcams.

Y’all. I love this little bird so much and it makes it so much easier to be apart from her since we get these pictures. If only we would get more or at least 1 per day!!

last week with my little bird.

OK. This is going to be the shortest post in the history of posts ever.  I have like 30 minutes before I need to wake up McKenna and get her in the car seat to go see Daddy and meet his coworkers.  And I feel like a bad mom – she is sporting a summer dress and it is getting chilly down here in Atlanta.  MEANING: I need to go shopping for some fall clothes for the little one. Cardigans. Pants. Etc… we need layers for daycare. Which SHE STARTS NEXT WEDNESDAY!! ….so I may have been spending some time looking online at Macy’s and Kohls for some clothes for her and y’all… Carters has THE CUTEST stuff in the world. She will be better dressed than me.  #truestatement

Yesterday we had her orientation and we had to put her in the infant room during the information time. And let me tell you… I CRIED THE WHOLE FREAKING TIME. Actually, I started crying at the house and walked in crying.  Needless to say, I did not hide the crazy from the workers.  Whoops?! And I may or may not have already registered us for the webcam program to watch her.  And evidently, we only have 10 views per day but we can call to have our views “reset”. Get ready Sarah, I will be calling you ALL THE TIME to reset my views, even past the first 2 weeks. 

But seriously, how did this day already come!? I feel like we just brought her home and I was just struggling with trying to get her to nap and not scream all day long.  I cannot believe in 7 days I am going to be a full time, working mom instead of a full time stay at home mom. And good grief I am going to miss our morning stroller rides and gibberish conversations and her HUGE smiles at me that are so big she has to turn her head away.  To all those moms on maternity leave: soak up every single minute, it files by so fast.  It is ok to cry with your baby when you’re frustrated, but enjoy every moment. I am going to miss these days, as simple as they were, immensely.

But… I need to get a move on. STAT.

AND! Big congrats to my fellow Logan’s Roadhouse love on the birth of her little baby boy, Charlie! I would say we should set up an arranged marriage between him and McKenna, but little M will NOT be marrying a Tennessee Fan!  Welcome to motherhood Ashley!! =D

2 months & Still BIG!

This is a little late, simply because McKenna turned 2 months old on Saturday (WHAT?!) and she did not have her 2 week appointment until today. But the past 2 months has just flown by – I really cannot believe that my “little” baby is already 2 months old and we have her daycare orientation next week, and I am getting ready to head back to work in a few short weeks.

Over the last month we have loved watching her smile more and more everyday at things like us, her birdies, lights, and the curtains in our bedroom.  Often times asking her to stop smiling  & chow down.  It has been adorable to watch her try and find her hands and try to put her hands in her mouth.  Often times getting her mouth and eyes confused.  We love asking her about her “popsicle” when she clenches her fists and brings them to her mouth. She is so cute when she rubs her eyes and ears.  Well… if we are being honest, she is cute in general.

We always smile when she is gulping her chow and it goes down the wrong hole and she starts coughing and then Mulligan comes running to check on her and then he stands guard of her.  Mulligan is for sure going to protect her as she gets older.

Kyle loves his nighttime routine with her – bath time, chow time, and story time. Then he used to rock her to sleep at night, but now she falls asleep on her own. As jealous as I am of his nighttime routine with her, I adore their special time together and hate to break it up when I go back to work, but momma needs time with her too once I am working again. I am loving how most nights she is sleeping from bedtime (9:00 ish to 5 or 6 AM).

The doctor was impressed with her eye contact, smiling, and all her baby babble and sounds she makes.  She got a good report card from the doctor. And she got her shots. I think I cried more than she did. And now she is literally passed out {a side effect of the shots}. I know I have already said it, but I CANNOT believe I have a 2 month old. Where is the time going?!

Current Stats:
Weight – 15 pounds, 1 ounce
Length -  25.5 inches
Percentile – Greater Than The 97th Percentile
Wearing 6 months clothes.

Her Favorite Things: Stroller Rides, The curtains in our room, her birdies, her swing, and running errands with her mom.

Her next checkup is 4 months, I seriously wonder how big she will be then and what sort of milestones she will hit!! This little bird of mine makes me love her more and more everyday. 

Just a Tee Shirt & Onesie!

My Grandma & Granddad went to Florida and all I got was a tee shirt and a onesie!  Today I am rocking my tee shirt like a big kid.  Next year I will be there in my little bathing suit, flip flips, sun hat, all slathered up in sunscreen, just you wait!!  That’s if my mom and dad are willing to put me on a plane at a little over a year old.  We will see.

Can’t wait for you to be back in Georgia!

xoxo,
McKenna

But seriously, she looks like such a little human in a tee shirt and shorts.  How is she growing up so fast?!

Long Weekend Success

Even when I am not working I LOVE a good long weekend.  and it could not have come soon enough.  After I bragged about figuring my child out and being in a routine, she decided to revolt so Wednesday – Friday were not fun. They were stressful, long, exhausting days. I may have cried a time to two, drank some wine out of the bottle as she screamed, and I counted down the days till I go back to work, if that gives you any insight on how rough those days were. So, I was more than ready to have an extra pair of hands to help out with Kenna again.  Lawd, just having a partner helps. I don’t know how all those single moms do it.

This was a VERY different Labor Day for us.  Normally we would have been at the Braves Game, I would have ran a 10k, and we would have been at the Georgia Dome cheering on the tide.  Now, we had the most suburban family holiday weekend.  We bought a new TV for our family room downstairs {We first bought a 65” TV and quickly, without even taking it out of the box realized it was just too big and returned it to the store for a 50”} & moved the old TV up to Kyle’s man cave. We bought new furniture for the family room to move the old stuff to the man cave & another room in our house.  We got new phones. I bought a rug for the decorating project I am about to start in our random sitting room.  We stimulated the economy one credit card swipe at a time & I cannot wait to show the world our newly decorated random sitting room.

We of course watched as much of the pathetic football game as possible, but having a newborn makes it a bit challenging.  But, I do know that it was not a pretty game played by Alabama.  What was supposed to be a cake game turned into a game that we could have lost. Let’s just say – if Alabama continues to play that way, having a distracting newborn won’t actually matter.  {We did buy her game day outfit this weekend though}

My only regret from the weekend: not  taking advantage of having Kyle around to catch up on my sleep.  It is Tuesday and I am exhausted and napping when the baby naps is just really not an option since that is when I have to wash bottles.  But, it is a 4 day work week and it is a little hectic so the weekend will be here before we know it! Hallelujah.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun long, Labor Day weekend! 

Little Update.

I am currently sitting on the floor – watching my 6 week old – play with her “birdies” (that is what we call her Fisher Price Gym Mat that has a mobile of birdies).  And, I bolded 6 week old  because lets talk about that: how is she already 6 weeks old?! I feel like time is flying and she is growing up insanely fast.  I have 5 more weeks of maternity leave and I just know that time is going to fly right by so I am trying to soak up every moment with this little one. 

and let me tell you – it is getting A LOT better.  We have finally figured out her “schedule” so now we can anticipate her crazy lady meltdowns and we are getting her to sleep much easier.  I also feel like the book “Happiest Baby on the Block” has helped me calm her meltdowns WAY faster.  Who would have thought a little jiggling, swaying side to side, and shhhhhh’ing would work wonders and save my sanity.  And Kyle says the same thing about rocking and a little bit of pacifier action. I don’t want to jinx anything but I think we are finally getting into a grove. Hallelujah. And as much as we love having visitors, the Shanahan Inn is officially closed until October.  There is no room in the inn. And my C-Section infection is SO much better so the stress of not getting back to work in the 12 week time limit is officially gone.

This is the most unflattering picture of me.  Ignore my 4589 chins, but McKenna is such a smiling happy baby!! McKenna is starting to smile more and more everyday and it just melts our heart.  She wakes up in the morning smiling and she smiles when you play peek-a-boo with her onesie when changing her diaper. She smiles on her stroller walks and at the different lights in the house. And of course – she smiles at her birdies because she loves her birdies.  It is just so cute what a happy baby she is.  I cannot wait till she starts giggling and yammering about who knows what.  the developments she makes each week just continue to amaze me and Kyle and I are always excited for her next “milestone”.  …but who knows what is next for her.  We sure don’t know. I don’t want to talk too much about her because then what will I get to blab about in her 2 month update?! Which will be here before you know it!  And I do have some cute things to share about our puppies and her!  *TEASER*

Since I am getting my sanity and life back {when McKenna is not napping on me – which she loves to do} – each week I am setting 3 goals for myself. And these are this weeks goals:

1. Read 100 pages of my book {which basically means: finish it.}
2. Start our Christmas Shopping
3. Get a pedicure

I cannot believe that this is Labor Day weekend.  And it feels weird that Alabama is coming to Atlanta for a football game and I have no plans to see anyone I know coming to town and that we are not going to the game. And that I am not participating in the annual 10k that I do each year {in shape or not}.  We are being so “suburban” and are going furniture shopping and TV shopping to upgrade our living room and outfit Kyle’s man cave with our old furniture.  I know. So exciting. but we are  excited to get 2 more rooms in our house filled with furniture and I am excited to start decorating another room in our house!

But! I gotta run.  Kenna is getting fussy because it is almost time for her 1:00 nap!  But we are alive and surviving and so blessed to have such a good and amazing little baby. We fall in love with her more and more every.single.day.

 

McKenna is 1 month old!

I cannot believe how the time has flown – McKenna is officially 1 month old – and getting bigger by the day.  She loves stroller rides through the neighborhood & on the greenway.  She loves making us walk her in circles around the house so she can see all the sights.  She loves her swing and her gym mat – but is not the biggest fan of tummy time (unless she is on mom’s chest) but it is getting better by the day. She met the neighbors and their big dog (and I think they were more scared/worried than we were).  She has learned to accept her nightly bath time, but I think Kyle has more fun than she does.  I have been pooped on, peed on, and puked on so I think I have been 100% welcomed into motherhood.  but – it has been a wonderful, amazing first month.  She is such a beauty.

Current Stats:
Weight – 11 pounds, 14 ounces
Length -  24 inches
Percentile – 97th Percentile

Long story short: she is still a BIG baby!  but she is healthy and happy and that is all we care about!

I don’t want to say it was a hard 1st month, but it also wasn’t 100% easy.  There were meltdowns (on my part mainly) about her meltdowns and not understanding her cries, breastfeeding issues, fears of being with her alone all day long, her stomach issues, my c-section got infected and of course the lack of sleep. 

Kyle is amazing and has been since day one.  I am so thankful to have such an amazing partner in life, marriage, and parenthood.  I didn’t know it was possible, but the love and respect I have for him today is more than I had for him before McKenna. He amazes me more and more everyday and McKenna is so lucky to have him as a dad. 

Now. I wonder what is in store for us for the next month and what developments & milestones McKenna will hit! 

Meet McKenna Marie

now. this is a long overdue post. but, I have some time as “little” McKenna snoozes to bust out a quick post.

After 41 weeks and 1 day (aka, 8 days late) McKenna Marie Shanahan was born!  …I will spare you the gory details, but lets just say there was nothing “natural” about her birth. We checked into the hospital (after a mini mental breakdown on my part) at 7:00 PM Friday night – I took some pill that night & then again late at night/early morning.  Then the Pitocin started at 6:00 AM.  Then there was some balloon catheter thing (aka a legit torture device).  My water had to be broken. And it all ended in 2.5 - 3 hours of pushing (I say 2.5 – 3 hours because Kyle and I do not see eye to eye on how long I pushed for) with a C-Section.  And, I am not good at math, but I know the whole thing took hours – started Saturday morning at 6:00 AM – C-Section was scheduled for 1:20 on Sunday morning. It was long, but there was an epidural involved so I wasn’t in a world of pain all that time.

But.  All that matters is that McKenna is here – she is healthy and happy and such a good little baby.  I won’t go into those details either because I always seem to jinx myself when I brag about what a good baby she is.  So just believe me.  She is good. And she is beautiful – granted, I have a biased opinion – and everyone says that she resembles Kyle. I would love to compare baby pictures side by side.  Her and me.  Her and Kyle.  but, she is precious and a total gift and we are so very in love with her.

Birthday: July 13, 2014
Weight: 9 pounds, 15 ounces
Length: 22 inches

We are so happy she is here! And we really appreciated the help from my mom and dad over the first few weeks – it was a HUGE help – and I have managed on my own now for 2 days (kinda) and I think we may just make it.  And today marks 3 weeks of maternity leave down – 8 weeks to go.
 

another weekend gone.

it is amazing to me how fast the weekends just pass by. especially when you do absolutely nothing. I just feel like I need 1 more day to group and get my life together before the work week starts again. and when I said we did nothing this weekend. I mean, we did pretty much nothing! and it was great.

Friday night Kyle put together the Pack ‘n’ Play and the Rock ‘n’ Play.  Kyle was having a hard time getting the pack ‘n’ play to stand up and I got it to spring open REAL fast.  Directions are such an amazing thing.  Mulligan was terrified of the assembly and has sniffed at both items but he is just really unsure.  But that is how we like it.  Kennesaw is just uninterested – again, how we like it.  And we have baby stuff.  In our living room. WHAT?!

Saturday morning we got up and did a tour of the other Northside hospital we are thinking about delivering at – but I think we decided that we want to try our best to get to the Northside main campus down in Dunwoody.  It is a longer drive, but something about them being “the baby factory” and delivering the most babies per year in the country makes us want to make the drive.  Both hospitals have the same security and policies, but we feel like those nurses who take care of you during labor and after just have more practice.  Once the tour was over, we headed home and I went straight to the pool to read my book & stand in the pool to work on the swelling.  Pregnancy brain kicked in when I decided it was time to go home – I left my towel at the pool.  Guess I wanted to reserve my chair for Sunday?!

I also washed a lot of baby clothes and towels and then organized our hall closet. and I really like it.  Kyle isn’t the biggest fan – he thinks the baskets create “dead space” – but this is me not caring and just happy that our hall closet it no longer a jam packed mess of sheets and towels and blankets and dog toys.  I just need to take off all the tags to the baskets since they are staying and keeping my world organized and sane.

Sunday I pampered myself with a massage + facial combo at my most favorite spa in the Alpharetta area.  I had my 15% off birthday month coupon and wanted one last pampering session before McKenna makes her debut.  Well.  Let me tell you, I 50% loved the day and 50% regretted it.  The prenatal massage was good, but the massage lady was overly talkative and I like my massages to work the kinks out – well I guess prenatal massages can’t abuse you.  Then the facial. Holy Steam.  I forgot that they open your pores with HOT STEAM FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE HOURS. And all the blankets you’re covered in.  needless to say, I walked out of the facial room chugging water because I think I spent the whole facial sweating.

For Father’s Day I took Kyle J to dinner and got him tickets for Transformers opening weekend on the Saturday.  I thought I had bought Sunday tickets, but I also thought I had bought adult tickets, but actually bought child tickets.  Pregnancy brain strikes again. Luckily, since I got IMAX tickets they were all the same price and I hope it does not make a big difference.  And… lets hope little McKenna doesn’t come before the 29th or on the 29th because we have a movie date!

I am officially 37 weeks pregnant and have carpal tunnel in both hands and it is painful – more at night when I am sleeping and it wakes me up and makes me want to cry.- I am not sleeping all that great due to it and the hip pain from sleeping on my side so I spend most of the night tossing and turning.  The braxton hicks contractions are starting to hurt at this point vs. just being annoying so I am having to pay closer attention.  but, I think she still has not dropped as my breathing has not yet come back.  I have another appointment on Wednesday where we will learn if there has been any changes.  Needless to say, it may be a long 3 weeks.  Kyle just refers to me as “Super Pregnant” at this point and I cannot really argue.

We are looking forward to this weekend though.  We have a puppy play date + cookout on the books with our neighbors and it will be good for Mulls and Kenns to see their buddy!!

36 Week Update

Well.  I am officially 36 weeks pregnant.  Meaning: there is 4 weeks left provided little McKenna comes on time.  At this point we are just trying to get prepped and ready for her.  All her bedding and clothes are washed and put away.  Her room is 98% done – just waiting on the thing for over her crib.  We went to Babies ‘r Us to buy more things that we think are the “essentials” … but we don’t know up from down when it comes to essentials SO yeah.

…How is McKenna…
she is just hanging around. doing her thing. not planning on making a debut anytime soon – which is OK by me.  She has finally moved head down {she was hanging out in this sideway position for a while}. strong heart beat. still bigger than she is supposed to be. but. she is good and that is all that matters!!

…How am I…
Hanging in there.  life is officially uncomfortable, but. I am lucky that it has taken this long to get to this point.  The swelling is a bit intense, but I have learned that a pool does wonders and really takes the swelling down. temporarily, but down.  I woke up with carpal tunnel this past weekend – because of the swelling pushing on nerves. and my back is my back. still hurting. And I would hate to be my travel buddy right now as my bladder is the size of a pea. I waddle near the end of the day. I am a mess but still feel very lucky to have had such an easy pregnancy + a little healthy baby brewing! =D  I do have a spa day on Sunday that I am looking forward to.  A little prenatal massage + a facial.  A little TLC and quiet time for me before McKenna makes her debut. 

…How is Kyle…
he is 100% in the running for husband of the year.  I am a pain in the ass.  true story. and he is taking it all in stride.  he has been cooking A LOT and making sure I am comfortable. he does not take anything personal as he knows it is just me being really pregnant. he bought me a wedge to go under my belly for when I sleep out of his own allowance because I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep.  now, I am sleeping better. but still not through the night.

…How I am Spending My Time…
Well. Monday – Friday is at work.  Then dinner and then in bed with my feet elevated with either a book or some quality TV.  Weekends have been spent doing baby things + getting as much pool  time as possible with a good book.  And laundry – but Kyle has to carry it upstairs now because the loads are too heavy and my belly is 100% in the way.  And. I am doing a lot of reading – while I still can!!

….Milestones & Exciting Things…
(1) We had our 1st hospital tour this past weekend and we are NOT off to a good start.  Despite having an appointment at that hospital early on + visiting countless friends there, we couldn’t find the dang hospital.  Whoops?! Hopefully Baby Day goes a bit smoother.
(2) Tuesday night we had our pediatrician open house and got to meet the doctor & ask countless questions.  He is a little conservative, but it is a big practice so we can “shop” around if need be.  But – he has 30+ years of experience so I kind of feel like he knows what is going on.
(3) Saturday we have the hospital tour at the alternate hospital that is closer to our house, but not our #1 choice due to their on call situation or lack there of of on call doctors around our due date, but we still want to know where we need to go if we need to head there vs. the main campus. Wish us luck for better sense of direction.
(4) all her clothes are clean and semi organized and put away.  Homegirl has some cute clothes and I am jealous of her sleep attire and her princess swaddle towel.
(5) we had an amazing baby shower and I am so lucky to have such an amazing group of people to work with – they really are more of a family than anything to me.  But… the shower made people realize  that I was pregnant as the next day I got nailed with all the “when are you do” and “how long will you be out” questions.

But.  All in all. Life is good.  Counting down the days till little M arrives.  And with the weekly appointments from here on out hopefully we will know to anticipate it!!

Things I am Loving Thursday

I have seen this on a few blogs lately and one of my favorites The Pink Growl does this Thursday post frequently so I decided to step away from all things baby and share some things I am loving lately with you all! =D

paperbackswap.com
I wouldn’t call myself an avid reader, but I do like to read but I hate used bookstores and I hate how books are pricey and I will only read them once.  I swap books with a coworker, but once I get them back they literally collect dust on my bookshelf at home. Until now.  Kyle somehow came across paperbacswap.com & then passed the word onto me. Basically – you post books you want to get rid of and then people ask for them. You purchase a label and then mail the book and are given 1 credit. 1 credit = 1 book and then you can request books from other members.  You can also put books on a wish list and when the book becomes available you can have it sent to you {if you have a credit}. I am loving it right now because I am able to get books I want and then get rid of books I no longer need! I totally recommend it if you like to read and you don’t hoard books like my husband does! JOIN HERE

erin condren life planners
this obsession is not new – but with the hype around the 2014 – 2015 planner right now I am reminded how much I rely on my planner and would die without it.  I know they tend to be a little bit bulkier than most people like, but I only get a 12 month calendar vs. the 18 month calendar and have found it to be less bulky.  They’re a bit pricey but totally worth it.  I think they are supposed to be released the 2nd week of June so mark your calendar and if you want to flip to the dark side, you can purchase a LP right HERE! {if you’re a new customer and you use that link you get $10.00 off} You can see mine get pretty packed, but it keeps my head on straight!

Lee Brice – “I Don’t Dance”
I don’t know why – but I cannot get enough of this song.  I pretty much have it on repeat in my car and I just really like it.  If I was getting married this year – I would 100% make this my first dance song.

short work weeks
even though I have been fairly busy this week because it was a 4 day work week I really could work 4, 10 hour days and have a 3 day weekend every week. I don’t 100% know what I would do with the extra day – but I would find something to fill my time. How would you spend your time if you had a 3 day weekend, every weekend?!

schools are out for summer
I LOVE SUMMER IN ATLANTA. Mainly because my insanely long 400 south crawl is cut pretty much in half because there ain’t no one of the roads, son! I can leave the house at 7:20 AM and be at work by 8:00 AM and hit pretty much only one area of traffic.  When before, I had to be out the door by 7:00 at the latest to arrive anywhere between 8:00 and 8:30 AM.  Hello Open Roads!

surprise baby gifts
We came home from work this week to a box with a big pink bow on our front porch and it was a baby gift from my parent’s friends who live in Athens, GA. The box was full of cute little monogrammed things like a burp cloth that I feel like is too cute to have a kid spit up on, an adorable stuffed bunny, and also a little baby blanket bunny toy.  it was such a surprise to come home to and it was so thoughtful of my parent’s friends to drop it by.  Too bad they dropped by on a Wednesday when we were both at work – it would have been fun to see them!

I am sure there are other things I am “loving” right now – but my back hurts.  Hello pregnancy and I want to crawl in bed and  read.  Therefore, I am cutting this short!

Happy Friday Ya’ll!

FRIDAY + LONG WEEKEND

MONDAY = MEMORIAL DAY.
MEANING: THE OFFICE IS CLOSED AND WE HAVE A LONG WEEKEND!!
THIS IS ME BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS. #TRUESTORY
YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW BADLY I NEED A 3 DAY WEEKEND!! #REALBAD

AND I PROMISE, I WILL NOT DO THIS WHOLE POST IN ALL CAPS.
BUT IT IS FRIDAY AND I AM STOKED FOR A LONG WEEKEND!!

There is a chance that 2 days this week I was wondering what labor felt like and if I was going into it because of stress.  And, I think since I was stressed McKenna was stressed so she got comfy in my ribs thus making it hard to breathe.  Yeah.  Kids, it has been a week.

So. What am I doing this weekend?  Well… a lot of nothing – after our baby essentials class.  I plan on going to the pool and sitting on the steps with my body in the pool and read my book to control my little swelling sausage fingers.  We have a puppy play date on the calendar.  I plan on washing baby clothes and putting them away and hanging them up.  I plan on going to Target for the essentials and then packing my hospital bag seeing how I have 44 more days. I may give the dogs away {and I only say that because they are currently obnoxiously barking}.  Oh and I am sleeping in.  Again. #truestory

I bought all sorts of cute Etsy things for the baby today – kyle may kill me, but I didn’t break the bank and I firmly believe that we need these and he was OK with the closet dividers when Heather was in town {look at me justifying my purchases}:

(1) Stickers for her monthly pictures for blog posts + her baby book from SweetSeraphina – and I am excited about these the stickers can then also go in her baby book! =D
(2) Closet Dividers for McKenna’s closet to keep the clothes divided by age from DoodleBugPrints – we don’t have chevron in her room, but we do have gray and pink.

Anyway…..

YA’LL HAVE A GOOD LONG MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!! EAT SOME HOT DOGS FOR ME AND HAVE SOME WINE ON THE PORCH. AND TRAVEL TO THE BEACH OR THE LAKE!! DO THE THINGS I CANNOT!  BARBIE ORDERS! =D

33 Weeks // #minddump

I am officially 33 week – well 33 weeks and 3 days if you want to get all technical. She is evidently the size of a cauliflower blossom {but way cuter according to kyle} and her bones are getting harder and about 4-6  pounds. I just cannot believe how fast time is flying by and how we have a little under 7 weeks left. 7 weeks is not a lot of time and I am beginning to feel very very unprepared.  #umiamgoingtobeamomsoon

we have our 1st baby class this weekend.  which is the baby essentials class and hopefully after that I will have a little more confidence. but I do keep telling myself that if those girls on Teen Mom can do it, then Kyle and I can more than do it.  We have our heads on straight and we’re not 16 years old and on drugs. WEEEEE. Good TV MTV, Good TV. #learnaboutbeingaparentin4hours

The nursery is 98% done. Still waiting on 1 last décor item for the nursery, but we knew that it would come down to the wire in receiving it due to late ordering on our part and how they hand make to order.  We ordered at 31 weeks and knew that there was a 6-8 week wait till it shipped.  But – I believe it will be well worth the wait.  The Etsy seller was absolutely amazing & we cannot wait to see the finished project. #bestnurseryever

The car seat is installed in the back of Kyle’s car and we have a base installed in the back seat of my car – ya’ll, we have a car seat. And people – those things are heavy and there is not a kid lounging in it yet!!!! We are having a real life baby. Now when you look into one of our Jeep’s there is limited seating. After about 452180 calls to the fire house that went unreturned, I hope that thing is installed correctly. Mulligan got in my car when we were installing the base. Poor kid will need to learn to share his backseat. And not trample the baby during his barking fits.  Side note: Mulligan never got in Kyle’s car during the installation process. Why you ask?! Because Mom is way more fun and her car leads to fun car rides to day care and the vet and he gets to see more of the outside world and bark at more things.  So my car > Kyle’s car.  #truestorymomisbetter

I am stalking our baby registries and need to stop. Granted we have not had our shower yet, but the money we are about to spend to basically get the basics is being added up in my head.  Kyle and I were talking about how we are going to systematically finish off the registry with the coupons we have from babies r u and buy buy baby and then with the registry completion cards we have + look on amazon – so we should score some pretty good deals – and we LOVE a good deal.  We are going to get the necessities first – the bottles and diapers and wipes and baby monitor and towels and pacifiers and rock and play and bathtub – then move onto the “nice to haves” and the other age appropriate things {bouncers, jumpers, etc…} at the right age. Plus at like 5 months, it will be Christmas and lets be honest – McKenna is going to be a spoiled little princess baby so things that we need around the 5 month mark would be good Christmas ideas for her.  #babiesareexpensivelikewoah

We have started packing the hospital bag.  And we are actually kind of behind on this one and at a total loss of what we really need vs. think we need.  Kyle has made all sorts of checklists based on Google searches.  I need to go to the store and buy the necessities this weekend and then legit pack the bag and have it ready to go.  Plus, we need to pack Kyle a bag since he will have to stay over night with me and the bambino. We also need to pack a diaper bag at some point.  When does one do that?! #somanybags #dohospitalshaveluggagecarts

Kyle had me open my “push gift” a this past weekend and he got me an amazing camera.  Just what I wanted.  I didn’t want a piece of jewelry that I may not wear in a few years.  I wanted something logical and practical and I didn’t want to capture moment on an iPhone that could get lost or stolen at any time.  #paparazziparents

but seriously. if you’re a parent. clue me in on that hospital bag thing! What do I need – what do I not need.  And what are the baby necessities that we 100% need to buy the weekend after our shower?!

Brookhaven Bolt 5K - 2014

Yesterday was a big day in the Shanahan house!  Kyle and McKenna participated in their first ever 5k.  Kyle ran his and let me tell you, I am SO SO SO proud of my budding little runner man. McKenna (and momma) walked their 5K and Kyle is SO SO SO proud of me for finishing.  33 weeks pregnant and participating in a 5k – I feel like that is impressive and that this picture should go in little M’s baby book since we have to track things before her birth! ….and I can tell her that she was a running baby before she was even born!

We got up early, typical race morning, and my not so morning person husband was actually pleasant to be around.  I was hoping my Lululemon tank was still long enough to cover my ever growing belly and I wouldn’t have to redneck it up with my stomach partly showing – and thankfully it did.  {Seriously pregnant ladies – well worth the high price, but the Lululemon Cool Racer Back tanks have been a pregnant girls workout life saver since the tanks are so so so long} I did get a bit nervous when my  running shoes were too small due to feet swelling, but since the weather was so cool and not May like, the swelling went down pretty much immediately when we got outside.  We grabbed some breakfast and then trekked from the ‘burbs into Brookhaven for the race and since this was my 3rd time participating I knew the drill which made the morning a lot easier. We ran into my brother and his friend before the race and chatted with them then we all split up at the start.  my brother and his friend went closer to the start, so did Kyle, and I buddied off with my friend Evin who was pushing her oh too adorable son in the stroller.  I was (and still am) so grateful I had Evin to chat with because it made the walk so by so much faster and we were just ticking off miles.  Plus, I think the cooler temps were a big help and helped keep the swelling down since I never really got hot or broke a sweat.

Kyle ended up finishing the race in about 31 minutes and then he turned around and came back to find Evin and me and walked with us a little bit.  Evin’s husband did the same thing – so by the time Evin and I got to the finish line we had her husband and Kyle with us.  They bounced off the course before the finish line to not mess up their chip times and then we all hung out for a bit at the finisher party. I finished in 54 minutes, which is pretty impressive since we (1) walked and (2) I am 33 weeks pregnant!  I thought it would take me well over 1 hour.  ….but the competitor in me and past runner had to beat myself up a little bit for being so low in the age group rankings + overall rankings and kyle keeps reminding me that I  (1) walked, (2) am pregnant, and (3) beat over 200 people who are not pregnant and participated.  Look at him, always being so encouraging. 

Kyle and I bailed out pretty quickly, after not feeling bad for 3.1 miles, my hips and back started hurting and I was having a little bit off discomfort so we headed to brunch {where I had the most depressing hot chocolate} and then back to the house for me to whip out the heating pad for my back and take a nap.

But it was another good run for the Brookhaven Bolt.  And Kyle asked if we could do it every year and he asked when our next 5k will be.  So, I think we have another one tentatively on the books for October and we will push McKenna in the jogging stroller – bundle her up and go for a little jog.  I think I have a little running man for a husband now and that make me excited! ….he was even saying that he thinks he could totally go a 10K.  I told him to pump the brakes and to let me catch back up in the running world before he goes off the deep end.  Do I have a future marathoner?!

Weekend Round Up(s)

The last two weekends have been exhausting.  Fun.  But exhausting.  Needless to say, I am very happy to have my house and my husband back and all to myself.  I normally do not mind entertaining and having people in town.  And I didn’t mind it this time either – but when you’re hauling a bowling ball around you just get tired more often and don’t really have the opportunity to just relax and catch up on your DVR.  … but the long month has just begun …

2 weeks ago we had Kyle’s mom and step dad in town from Thursday – Tuesday and if I thought it was hard to entertain before, add work + being pregnant to the mix and it makes it a tad harder.  Truthfully, we did not do a lot.  We went to Stone Mountain on Saturday to sight see, but that is about it.  Kyle and I spent the whole time  talking about how we cannot wait for McKenna to get old enough for us to take her there to ride the Duck boat and play in the bouncy barn and do all those other fun events.  But we rode the tram to the top of the mountain {kyle worried about me falling on the uneven terrain the whole time} and then just walked around the park.  Surprisingly, I lasted a long time before getting the sore feet.  Victory.

This past weekend I had my bestie Heather in town from Tuscaloosa and that weekend was too fun.  I love that our friendship is so good that we can just sit on the couch and catch up and we don’t consider it boring. I got to meet her boyfriend, who I really liked and Heather showered McKenna with so many pieces of clothing it is insane and it is all just too cute.  {Between Heather and my aunt, McKenna has a better closet than I do!!}. 

Saturday we went to the Braves game and that was a long day. We got to the game at 3:30 PM for a tailgate and then left around 10:30/11:00 PM.  There was a rain delay for the game due to the sudden downpour and since I think I have a pinched nerve in my back {per. Dr. Google} and the most comfortable position for me is standing up – my feet were swollen and I was cranky by the time we left.  However, when the rain finally did stop I was never so grateful to get in the stadium and sit my butt down even if my back did hurt from time to time!  The Braves ended up winning {Go Bravos} and Kyle and I talked about how we cannot wait to take McKenna to a game and buy her a foam tomahawk so she can chop and it was overall just a good time.  I know Heather, her boyfriend, and Kyle had a fun time with my friends and some people we tailgated with last summer.  And that is what we were looking for – a fun, good time. And who doesn’t have a good time when they have a built in designated driver! 

Sunday I did not get out of bed {true story} because my feet were so swollen.  I kept them elevated, I took 2 naps, read a bunch of my book, watched some TV, and then passed out at 10:00 PM.  Actually – Kyle and I did go to dinner for Mother’s Day and he got me a shoe organizer {for my nesting} and I organized my shoes – but other than that I did not get out of bed.

This upcoming weekend we have the 5k, which at this point I am 100% playing by ear and may just hang out at the finish line and cheer my brother and husband on.  Game Time Decision. And then I have my friend’s birthday dinner and we are trying to plan a puppy play date with the neighbor dog for Sunday. 

…in baby news….

McKenna is currently 32 weeks old – meaning we have 8 more weeks to go.  However; she is measuring 34 weeks – 2 cm larger than her gestational age … tomorrow I have an appointment and if she is still big they will order a sizing ultrasound to determine why she is so big.  My vote: my husband and I are tall people; therefore, we will have a tall child. But, the doctors are not worried so I am not.  We are going to buy the baby monitor this weekend probably and we need to get our car seat installed.  We ordered the last item of décor for her nursery and I cannot wait the 6-8 weeks for it to come in.  It is amazing and the care that the Etsy seller put into perfecting what we want was amazing!! The car seat and extra base are in our possession, we just now need to get it installed in our car. 

All in all, life is good. cannot complain. we did redo our laundry room so expect a post about that soon.  but life is good!

List of Home Improvement Ideas

I want to start this blog post by saying that WE love our house.  We bought our house because we loved the neighborhood – it was big, looked like it would be full of families, was quiet and had good school systems.  When we started house hunting, we wanted a house that we could stay in and raise a family in.  Kyle was always jealous of me that I was raised in the same house and came home to the same place every holiday and summer of college and then after moving to Atlanta.  Kyle and I wanted the same thing for our family and future kids. 

Since my 30 before 30 list won’t really be all that accomplished since I turn 30 in like a month and some odd days {I can’t exactly go zip lining or horse back riding or to a brewery in my condition} I am moving onto our Home Improvements List.  This has no rock solid due date – just as we can afford it.   We had 1 savings account already established called “college education fund” and now that we have moved that to a 529 and the money is taken out of our account automatically – we renamed that account to “home improvement fund”.  {when did I become so old and mature?!}

Some of the things aren’t major upgrades and {thankfully} can be done on our own, but they bug me and need to be done.  I just need to spend a weekend at Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond or The Container Store and say I AM DOING THIS NOW!

With all that.  Here is our list.  And pictures with ideas {thanks pinterest}.

1. Kitchen Upgrade: Granite Counters
2. Kitchen Upgrade: New Cabinet doors {thankfully the cabinet boxes are solid and strong. We just need new doors that won’t have laminate that peels. G.Ross.}
3. Kitchen Upgrade: Backsplash

Obviously. I love the light color granite and the light color backsplash.  We do like the white cabinets that we already have and want to keep the white when we swap out the doors and we already upgraded everything to stainless. So the neutral granite + backsplash is the plan.  And… we think we could do the backsplash on our own. Can’t be too hard, right?!

4. Laundry Room Redo DONE
5. Hall bathroom upgrade: new sink fixtures + toilet paper holder/towel holder. DONE
6. New paint job of foyer/upstairs landing
7. New paint job of weird sitting room. NO LONGER WANT: WE DIG THE RED
8. Hardwoods in the foyer – take out the weird uneven marble tile area.
9. Remove the sliding doors – install French Doors DONE & AMAZING.
10. Replace all the ceiling fans upstairs – all 6 of them
11. Master bathroom upgrade: new floors
12. Master bathroom upgrade: new shower. bigger shower.
13. Replace all the door knobs upstairs.
14. Repaint the master bedroom.
15. Redecorate the master bedroom.

and when I say “redecorate” I really mean upgrade the artwork above our bed.  And then since the dogs are no longer crated. Figure out what to do with that big empty space. Plus, new bedding and curtains. To match the new paint job. I really like the 3 above ideas. the 3 wooden picture frames would house family photos though // and I love that Song of Solomon verse.

16. Repaint Kyle’s “man cave” / McKenna’s playroom / the family room.
17. Upgrade the TV in the downstairs room – move the downstairs TV into the “man cave” DONE (AND THE NEW TV IS NOW IN THE PLAYROOM)
18. New furniture for the downstairs family room. Move the current furniture to the “man cave” / random weird sitting room. DONE
19. Decorate the random weird sitting room. DONE
20 .Dining room furniture for the dining room
21. Decorate the large landing thing over our foyer under our big window.  {I want large oversized lanterns from Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn}
22. Organize the hall closet upstairs.  DONE.
23. Organize the pantry.
24. Organize the laundry room.  DONE.
25. Organize our master closet.
26. Organize the hall closet down stairs.
27. Change all the sink fixtures in the bathrooms in the house.
28. Get a new front door + paint all the shutters to match.

….we have A LOT on the list to do and I am sure that it will only grow longer.  But luckily, a lot of this can be done on our own and all the organization projects {I blame on nesting} are quick weekend things.  But then we have some major projects to save our bonuses and money for!