Today I went for my weekly check-up while little Maeve spent some quality time with A-ka Mac (Chris' sister, Katie). The appointment involved an ultrasound for the purpose of taking some measurements and checking fluid (sounds like an auto body shop) and then to see the doctor. Here's what I learned after today's visit:
1. The baby is no longer breech (three days ago, during a non-stress test at the hospital we learned the baby was breech and the topic of "external version" reared its ugly head). Of course, with 5 or 6 weeks to go, anything could change, but I'm proud of #2 for perhaps sensing that Mom was a bit nervous about this and getting himself/herself into proper position.
2. The baby has a head full of hair. Now this I'm truly curious about and was very dubious of the technician when the news was shared with me. First of all, Maeve had little to no hair at birth and second of all, how the hell can you detect hair on an ultrasound picture? The technician responded by stating, "honey, I've been doing this for 25 years and I know a head of hair when I see one." She then proceeded to print out a "hair photo" to drive the point home. I'm still confused.
3. I lost a pound since my last visit. Not what I was expecting to hear but I'll take it!
4. The baby's current weight is somewhere around 5 lbs., 9 oz. Shouldn't raise too many red flags for expecting parents in this day and age, however, when your first kid weighed only 5 lbs., 14 oz. at birth and you still have 5 or 6 weeks to go and the technician looks you dead in the eyes and says, "this is a big baby," there is some cause for alarm. They are predicting I'll deliver between 7 and 8 lbs. which is pretty average these days. I just hope I can explain this to my lady-parts as they are stretched beyond my wildest dreams. Epidural anyone?
Last Wednesday, Maeve spent the day in Hanson so I could get a few extra hours (which = extra cash) in at the office in preparation for my going out on (unpaid) maternity leave. Most trips to Hanson involve some sort of "treat" whether it be a trip to McDonald's or fishing down at Town Hall pond. Last week, the "treat" manifested itself as a princess costume, complete with tiara and magic wand. Wait, does that make it a fairy costume? In any event, Maeve was beside herself, running around in her new duds for the better part of the day, placing magical spells on anything her wand could reach. Bedtime that night involved a bit of negotiating and we finally convinced Maeve that it wouldn't be a good idea to sleep in the tutu. When I entered her bedroom the following morning to smother her with kisses and talk in my usual high-pitched voice, she shot a knowing look to the pile of pink tulle in the middle of her room and said, "I need to put that on right now!" After another series of negotiations to get her to do her "good morning tinkles" as we like to call them, the tutu was on These photos were taken around 6:30 that morning. What's the mother of a princess to do?
We were visited last week by Baby Madeleine and her parents, Meg and Jonathan which is always a treat, especially if it involves me getting to squeeze my new niece for a bit! Maeve decided to make herself useful and assist Meg with feeding Madeleine her bottle. Although Maeve was somewhat distracted at times, overall I think she did an OK job and perhaps will be more of a big helper than I realized once #2 shows up on the scene. For now, however, we'll look to get more practice time in with Madeleine whenever we can!
So, as you know, there's always a home improvement effort underway at our house and here's the latest currently in progress. The Living Room. Here is a shot of Chris taping of the mantle which he has sanded down to the original wood and lovingly placed several coats (with sanding in between) of polyurethane to restore it to its original state of beauty. He has also torn up the boring tile that lay in front of the fireplace and we're hoping to replace it with some sort of slate or variation thereof. Stay tuned...
I realize the title for this blog is totally bizarro but I've every intention of providing an explanation as you'll read later in this entry. So, by a small miracle, 7 out of the 8 Chatham girls were able to make the pilgrimage up to Scarborough, ME about a week ago for what I consider to have been a much needed but much too quick getaway with my gals (oh, and our spouses and kids too). I'd say the weekend was masterfully coordinated, start to finish by Becky (who jumped on the hotel booking and got the rest of us to bite rather quickly) and Jodi & Kevin who hosted the crew for two days straight and still managed to enjoy themselves in the process (or at least they faked it well), which isn't easy to do - at least not for me. We were sorely missing Jen and Marco who had a prior obligation on Cape Cod and so we'll look forward to toasting them and their recent engagement a few hundred times at the annual Chatham Christmas fiesta, which rumor has it, will be taking place in Rehoboth this year.
So the Flowers actually stayed in Seekonk with us Thursday night, to break up their trip from NJ, which worked out great and as a bonus, the McNamaras scored our own private stash of Doug's confectionary delights! Then we hit the road Friday morning around 9:30 AM, making good time with a respectful arrival by 1 PM to the Marriott Residence Inn in the Scarborough/Portland area, just off of Route 1. We quickly received our room assignments and the McNamaras headed up to Floor 2 to our "suite." We couldn't have been out of the car for more than 15 minutes and as soon as Maeve saw that our hotel room had a kitchen area, living area, big bed for Mom and Dad and bathroom, she exclaimed, "I LOVE MAINE!" So basically, I think we could have stayed in our hotel room for two days straight and not a peep of a complaint would have been uttered by our two-year-old. That, in part, was due to "the hiding room." The hiding room, was a broom closet in our room with a skinny door, which Maeve immediately figured was a Maeve-sized door, and so, took full advantage of all the closet had to offer, which basically meant a temporary get-away from her parents. Luckily, there was no way for her to lock herself in there, but even still, with no light inside the closet, you would have thought the thrill of it all would have been short-lived. We're still talking about the hiding room a week later and occasionally, Maeve will entertain conversation about all the other things we did while in Maine (keep reading) when we weren't shutting ourselves inside broom closets. I'm still debating filling out a customer survey for the Marriott and how "awesome" their hiding room in unit 225 is. Below is a glimpse into Maeve's hiding room world:
The Flowers and McNamaras were able to squeeze in a dip in the indoor pool at the hotel and then it was off to the Sheas for some yummy take out from Ken's Place (you must stop here for a bite when in Scarborough) and some catching up, Stonehill style. The kids, did well, getting (re)acquainted with one another and us parents, basically didn't see our kids at all until it was time to pack up for the night and get some shut-eye for Saturday's activities.
Although, the forecast was a bit "up in the air" if you will, our trip to Scarborough beach ended up being pretty close to perfect and despite the water temperature not being the most inviting to people, the kids kept themselves busy making a huge sand-castle thingy with the help of some very adept adults: Dave Glynn and Kevin Deiboldt. And speaking of Mr. Deiboldt, Amy had better keep a closer eye on her spouse whose affections were stolen that day by a certain girl in a yellow bikini who happens to like twizzlers just as much as he does.
Being at the beach, kind of allowed the girls, to catch up a bit which can only be one to a certain extent via e-mail. Being together allowed for the sighs, the laughs, the extreme facial expressions, etc. This kind of time together is certainly something we wish we had more of (and I know I can speak for all of us) so when we do get the chance, we take full advantage. Here are some beach shots for your perusal:
The beach also brought a special visit from Cindy and Jim Hideriotis, who have a place on Old Orchard Beach. Having not seen them for over a year since their daughter's wedding we had a lot of catching up to do in our discussions with them about their new granddaughter, Maya. Congratulations to them both and we'll hope to see them again strolling the beach!
After the beach outing, it was back to the hotel to freshen up and to give Kevin some extra time to finish mowing his enormous lawn. We invaded the Shea home for a second time around 3 PM that afternoon and once again, they outdid themselves without even breaking a sweat. And by the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to say a big hello, to the newest Shea, Benjamin whom I (stupidly) didn't get a photo of. Had I done so, the photo surely would have also included Jodi's left hip. So, I very deftly stole this photo instead from Jods, just so y'all can see what a irresistible bundle of yumminess he is:
We feasted on burgers, dogs, sausages, pulled chicken sandwiches and homemade pickles. Jodi WOULD NOT give up the secret pickle recipe no matter what kind of threat came her way, so instead a group of culinary geniuses (Dave Glynn, Kevin Deiboldt, Amy Deiboldt, Larissa Flower, Dave Preneta and myself), under the watchful eye of Kevin Shea (whom I think Jodi sent out to the deck as a spy) tried to piece it together, somewhat unsuccessfully. The pickles are just about as mysterious as the hiding room I suppose. After the bellies were full, Jodi wowed us once again by pulling out her clues for a cleverly devised scavenger hunt for the little ones. Here is the line up, sans Ben of course: Joey, Meghan, Connor, Maddie, Caroline, Riley, Maeve, Matthew and Sophia:
I had every intention of taking family portraits of all those in attendance. Here's as far as I got, but isn't it lovely?
Lastly, the token posterity shot of the girls (again, sans Jen) with a couple of pregnant babes thrown in the mix. We are already looking forward to a return trip next August (if the Sheas are smart, they'll make plans to be out of town for the entire month of August) and if it matters at all, we have first dibs on "the hiding room."
These past few weeks have included a generous dabbling in the arts for little Maeve - including two outdoor dance performances by her Aunt Katie Mc and her Uncle Olase, some serious time logged with her watercolor set and some impromptu modern dance in our kitchen this evening. I think it was the new "Maeve" necklace from Auntie Erin and Chris as well as the Minnie Mouse flip flops (or as Maeve likes to call them, "sit fots") that really inspired the dance piece itself. But I'd rather you be the judge.
No, the Red Sox organization hasn't decided to tear down the famous green wall out in left field. The McNamaras, however, HAVE decided to (finally) dispose of the green shag carpet (circa 1975) that has covered their beautiful oak floors in the living for long enough. Yes, the living room is our next home improvement project in the long line of projects that we've laid out for ourselves since moving to Pershing Avenue four years ago. Nothing major in mind - just some updates including a coat of fresh paint, exposing the wood flooring and removal of the scalloped ceiling design. I'll try to remember to post some updates as we go. Our goal of course is to finish before baby #2 arrives. We'll see if that actually happens. But, if Chris has anything to do with it, our chances are pretty good. Is anyone in need of a really big piece of green shag carpet? Place your orders now...
