A Baby Mackenzie Update

Mackenzie is definitely getting bigger, which in turn means that I am getting bigger! She is becoming MUCH more active and at night we like to just watch her move in my tummy. Who knew how entertaining it could be?!?! I have a feeling she is going to be moving more and more as she gets bigger and starts to run out of space. I don't know where I get my long torso from, but thank you! I think she has enough room for now. 

Our doctor's appointments are getting ready to become more frequent as we move into the third trimester. I go next week for the glucose test. I hear it's not that bad as long as you don't fail and have to do the second test which is 3 hours long! Yikes! I like my sugar and carbs, but I hope everything will be okay. If not, then we will deal with it. My weight gain over Thanksgiving and Christmas has not been friendly, but at least this year I can blame it on being pregnant. What's my excuse for the previous 24 years?!? As long as baby is healthy, then Craig and I are happy! Dr. Collins says everything is "Just Perfect!" every time we see her, so I have to trust that. The belly is indeed getting bigger! 

Week 25 belly!

Week 26 belly on Christmas Eve!  No Bowser this week :(

The Holiday Break and Festivities

Well, needless to say a lot has happened since I lasted updated. Christmas has now come and gone and we are awaiting the new year. I cannot believe that 2012 is a few days away. On New Year's Eve we will officially be t-minus 3 months until our angel arrives! That is CRAZY!!!! Time is flying by very quickly. I have a feeling that she is going to be here before we know it. 

This break was definitely different for me because I did have not a full two weeks off of work. To those who never have that time off- I do apologize, BUT for those of us who are used to a FULL two weeks- it's really stinky. Oh well... as we all keep saying at school: MAY 31st! That's super early for our district to let out for the summer. The other reason the break was different and special is because Granny and PaPa came into town with my aunt and uncles! We have not all spent Christmas together in years. It was really fun to have everyone at my mom and dad's for the holiday. We love spending as much time with them as possible. I sure wish they would move up to Dallas (hint, hint PAPA!!!). I've tried to convince them to move here for the last couple of years without any luck. Now I try to use being close to Mackenzie as the ultimate trump card, and I'm still failing miserably!

Craig and I stay on the move during the holidays since both of our families live within 20 minutes of our house. (I have a feeling that we will be even more thankful for that fact when Mackenzie gets here!) We spend Christmas Eve with Craig's family. This year we were at his uncle's house in Coppell. The whole family comes over and we had a REALLY good dinner this year. I'm not sure if it's because of the pregnancy that I thought it was so good, or that I liked everything that was offered? Either way, it was delicious! After we left his uncle's, we went to his mom's to open gifts with our nieces and his siblings. It's always fun to see how excited Addi and Brookie get about Santa Claus coming to town. We kept a close eye on his travels during the night until they left. We stayed the night at his mom's house with his brother Brad and wife, Kelly. We have done it before, but wanted to do it one last time before we need to be at our house Christmas morning for Santa! Craig's mom made a huge and yummy breakfast for us in the morning. We came home for about an hour and made a quick change before heading to my family's house for Christmas #2. Christmas is always special because the family gets together, but this year was even more wonderful because of my grandparents being in town. Our niece, Emma, and nephew, Eamonn, are so much fun to be around and a ball of energy! You really have to be on your toes around the two of them. Dinner at my mom's was delicious as well. We do a lot of eating and hanging out! I love it! We opened gifts with the family and everyone watches the kids. After watching the two of them, I decided that kids open gifts in one of two ways. First, they open everything as fast as they can and then have NO IDEA what they got. OR- they take forever to open their gifts because they want to play with each one as they open it. It's very interesting! By the time Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were over, we were exhausted! 

 

Craig, Bowser, and I have done a lot of sleeping since the holidays trying to catch up. Craig is very busy back at work. He has many plans for the new year and ScrewAttack. I can't wait to see them all in action. He works hard and has worked hard for a long time. I can't wait to see all of the hard work pay off in some way, shape, or form. With everything he does, he keeps our growing family at the forefront. I think I picked a pretty good one! (He does too!) 


Happy New Year!!! 2012, Here we come!

A Productive Weekend

Saturday was a busy day full of projects. The company delivering the nursery furniture said they would be to our house close to 11:00 am, but failed to show up until 1:00 pm. I wonder why they even bother to quote you times when they fail to meet them. Hmm? The good thing is that all of the furniture got here and it was in good shape. They sure do pack it up really well! We have a lot of trash sitting out on driveway. It's a good thing big trash goes out on Mondays. They had a little trouble getting some of the furniture up and around the stairs. I think they probably would have charged us more if they knew what a tight turn it would be. Oh well! It was WELL worth the money to have it delivered. Craig had to help with one of the pieces, so just imagine if we had to do it ourselves?!?! We (or maybe just me) decided that we should get everything set up instead of letting it sit in boxes for the next few weeks. The two dressers came put together, so all we had to do was take them out of the box. The crib needed to be put together though. That was a pretty painless process. We worked together and get it all up and arranged. It took us a while to decide how we wanted everything to go in the room. There is a good chance that we will change our minds over the next 3 months! We definitely have time to make changes! 

Week 24 belly bump in front of Mackenzie's crib.

After all of the furniture was in place, we went over to Denise's house for her Christmas Open House. This was the third year for her to do this, and I love going over there. She makes the best (and easy) Crockpot meatballs. I'm a little embarrassed to say how many I ate... So I won't! It is always fun to see family and watch the kids play. Once we left there, we (or just me again) decided to go to the Galleria to do some Christmas shopping. Our nieces, Addi and Brookie, love the American Girl dolls and have asked Santa for new ones this year. We needed to be prepared just in case he decided they have been good enough to receive one. That store is an experience in and of itself! I don't think anything could have prepared Craig for what was in store inside. I had no idea how big that place was either. It is HUGE!!! and it was packed at 8:30pm. I have a feeling that we have trips like this in our future with Mackenzie. They have so many clothes and accessories downstairs to choose from, and then upstairs they have a hair salon, a Bistro, and party rooms! In the salon, you can get your doll's hair done, or ears pierced, or get a facial!!! It's unbelievable!! We really had no idea. Then as we were walking back to our car through the mall, it seemed as if every other little girl had an American Girl doll or someone was carrying a bag from that store. Craziness! 

Sunday, was a little more low key but still busy. Craig helped his dad break down a party that he decorated for on Saturday. I ran some errands and went to school to get some work done. Craig came home and is playing the new Zelda game! He is obsessed right now! I am going to grade some papers. It's not a mystery who will be having more fun. 

We are excited to go to the doctor again on Monday to see how Miss Mackenzie is growing. Hopefully, we will get another video of her heartbeat. 

Mackenzie's Room and a Growing Belly

The nursery has certainly started to look more like a baby room over the last week. Craig and I have been painting with the help of Craig's mom. Every time I paint, I forget how miserable it is to tape everything off. I guess it's a good thing I don't paint too much. The furniture is being delivered today and we are going to try and arrange it how we think we want it. Everything is subject to change at this point. 

Here are some pictures of the nursery before her furniture gets here. 

              

            

Now we are just waiting on the three pieces of furniture to be delivered. I sure hope the room is big enough to hold all of it. If it's not... too late now! We are getting even more excited because it feels like she is that much closer to being here with us! Kind of scary, but we can handle it!

Now for the growing belly!

Week 22

Week 23, in front of the Christmas tree at the Adolphus after the parade.

Week 23 in Mackenzie's room.

Coming soon... Mackenzie's room with furniture and we are officially at 24 weeks!

And Her Name Is...

Husband Craig has officially taken over this blog and now it's time to go CRAZY!  I asked Kristen where the updates were tonight and she said she hasn't had time to update lately.  I guess being pregnant sure does take up a lot of time.


This past weekend I started painting our kiddo's room.  Hey, speaking of the kiddo, did you know we have picked out her name?  *insert drum roll*


.......


Mackenzie Grace Skistimas


Lovely, right?  One of the reasons I like the name so much is because I can see the name really sounding good when I'm yelling.  "MACKENZIE GRACE!"  Hopefully I won't ever have any reason to yell as she'll without a doubt be an angel.  We're just a couple weeks out of Christmas (yes, just like Skistimas) and while one last trip to Disney World before Mack comes it was ultimately vetoed as we wanted to make sure we enjoyed our last Christmas (yes, really, like Skistimas) as just Craig and Kristen with our family.


It's certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas. See you next week.... HOPEFULLY with a tummy picture.

Officially over the Halfway Mark

The surprise and utter shock of baby being a little girl has definitely set in now. Craig and I could not be more excited for a girl, although it took a few days to settle into our brains. He knew that if it was a boy, that boys will be boys and he knows boys, so he wasn't too worried. But... since it's a girl, boys will still be boys and we have to worry about them in addition to our girl! He has a full theory worked out in his head. It has been so much fun to refer to her as a she and a girl! It has NOT been fun walking into ANY store and wanting to buy cute baby girl things! Surprisingly enough, we have not bought anything yet. YET!!! I have no doubt that this will be a much bigger struggle for me than Craig. He's not a big time shopper to begin with. I have a hard time believing he will turn into a shopper now. 

Belly Bump 21 weeks

I forgot to post the video of the latest heartbeat from the doctor. Of course, we were in such anticipation about whether we were having a boy or girl that we didn't even ask how fast the heart was going. All we know is that it sounded great! That's really all that matters to us anyways!

A Big Surprise!

This has been a super fun week! Craig and I were not planning to find out the sex of the baby, but we ended up deciding that we couldn't wait!!! We can't believe our little angel will be here in about 4 more months! It does not seem like 5 months have already gone by. I have gotten much bigger and am definitely looking pregnant! Not just fat! 


Our doctor said the baby is already measuring big, so we should most likely not be expecting to go all 40 weeks. If we do, then we should expect at least a 9 pound baby!!! Holy Cow!!! Right now baby is measuring 1 lb. 1 oz. And judging from the size of the femur bone-long, long, long. Everything looks great and the baby is perfectly healthy! 


When Craig and I went to the doctor on Monday, Peachy wrote us a note to reveal the gender if we chose to know. The sonogram tech wrote the sex on the note and sealed the envelope. It was completely up to us if we wanted to open it now. We are impressed that we made it a few hours after having the envelope before opening it! After we got home, we started to make dinner and I put the note on the counter. It was not any secret that I wanted to know the gender all along. We ended up opening it up about 15 minutes after we walked in the door from the doctor! Such patience we have!!!! 


We opened up the envelope and our eyes went straight to the line that read, "I'm a girl!" Oh my goodness!!!! A GIRL!!! What are we going to do with a girl?!?!? Everyone, including ourselves thought the baby would be a boy! We are delighted to have a healthy baby girl growing each and everyday- just a little shocked! Her name will be revealed soon, as we get more comfortable with it. Who knew how difficult it was to name another person? What a responsibility!!


Here are some sonogram pictures from our 20 week appointment and my big 20 week belly! 

You can see her hand faintly above her head.
She was arching her back in this shot. 

You can see her hand much more clearly here and her brain growing!
Her knee is at the far right of the picture too! Pretty amazing! 

20 weeks and growing!
I would like to point out that it is 10 o'clock at night too! 

A Lot of Bowser and Mommy Time

Craig went out of town again for part of the week, so Bowser and I got to spend a lot of time together. He was a pretty good puppy, except for when he wasn't! He still likes to dig in the backyard and eat things that he's not supposed to. I keep hoping that one day he will out grow that. It just hasn't happened yet. Craig was in Virginia putting on the Iron Man of Gaming competition at another gaming convention. We sure did miss him a lot! Especially since he was gone for part of last week too. He should be home for a while now before hitting the road again in January. I stayed busy by going to a few craft shows this weekend. I probably spent too much  money, but I had a lot of fun! I actually went to the same craft show twice. The second time I got a lot of food items! We made the tortilla soup tonight for dinner, and it was delicious! 


The baby is starting to move around more and more everyday. I can feel them moving all the time. As the baby is getting bigger it is causing some pain, but that's okay! I know it's for a good cause! We go to the doctor again next Monday, and we get to see the baby!!! We are VERY excited!!! 

Week 19 Belly 

I had to get on Bowser's level for him to make
another appearance this week! He felt left out last week! 

Another Week Goes By

This week, things did not slow down at school at all. I am thinking we are past most of the craziness for now, but who knows! Craig went to Palm Springs this week for a sneak peek at the new Call of Duty of game. I know you are just as jealous as I am of this trip! He loved it though! He got to stay for free, eat for free, and play the game for 3 days! Maybe I could enjoy that too. Someone would have to teach me how to use the controller for this game, but I could pick it up if I wanted to. Bowser and I spent a lot of mommy and me time this week with Craig being gone. He is always happy to have daddy back at home to give him good play time! I'm happy for that too! 


I am starting to feel the baby move some, which is incredibly exciting! We can't wait to feel the movements more consistently. 

Week 18 Belly Bump

This was Saturday night after a delicious meal of Mexican food.
I think the bump is partly a food baby! 

Sunday morning! I don't think I can say there is too much food baby now.
Baby is just growing, and so am I! Also, Bowser did NOT feel like posing two days in a row.

In Flower Mound, there is a family who puts on an AMAZING pumpkin patch every year. We have gone for the last 5 years together. I think this was our first time to go without our nieces or any young children, but we had a blast just the two of us. We can't wait to go next year and put Baby in the "My First Pumpkin Patch" pot. So cute! 

Bowser Turns One!!!

 On October 23rd, Bowser turned one year old! Or seven depending on what calendar you use. He got VERY spoiled that morning with scrambled eggs mixed with ham and cheese. It did not take him very long to devour that breakfast! When he first started eating it was like he was in shock that he got something so tasty. Well, tasty to him at least! Turning one did not make him into a mature dog over night, although I was kind of hoping it would. Craig says that we'll miss the puppy days, but I'll take my chances. We love our Bowser and hope that he will welcome the baby with lots of love and licking! (on the feet!)  He's a good pup and a member of the family. I hear that changes slightly when a baby comes along, but we really love him a lot! 

Happy 1st Birthday Bowser!!!

December 2010

October 2011

Busy Week

This week was super busy with school stuff and everything else going on. Craig is always busy at work, so this week was no different. He did do something a little out of the norm at the end of the week and take the day off on Friday!!! He needed a day to take a break mentally and physically. We should all do that more often. I did it on Monday! Maybe I was his inspiration! 
I went to "Just Between Friends" this week, which is a consignment sale for all things baby and mommy. I went with two of my sister-in-laws, Kelly and Holly, and met my sister, Denise, up there. It was very overwhelming when you first walk in because there is so much to look at. I ended up getting a few maternity clothes, a cute baby sling, a boppy, and an infant carrier headrest. All for under $50! Pretty good! 
School was crazy with so many things going on. Of course we had to celebrate the Rangers in the World Series and got to wear Rangers gear and jeans ALL WEEK!!! That's a big deal in teacher world. Some disappointing Ranger games, but we still have faith. We had a pep rally at school this week for Marcus High School, and I have never seen anything like that at an elementary school! The whole football team was there and many of the varsity cheerleaders. The kids look up to those athletes so much, it's inspiring for them. 
Saturday was week 17 for me and the baby, and they are definitely getting bigger! I had to go and buy some maternity pants that I know will fit me for the rest of the pregnancy. It's always fun to shop!!! 

Belly at Week 17

I'm rocking the glasses this week because I have a viral infection in BOTH eyes and my left eye is swollen. Excellent! I have to wear them for at least a week. Boo! 

Playing a Little Catch Up

A bunch of posts to get everyone caught up on the pregnancy so far. 

Finding out! This was a shocker, and we had no idea how to react!!! 

Our first baby appointment on August 29, 2011. Baby's heartbeat was 179 beats per minute. 

Baby's heartbeat on September 19, 2011. 164 beats per minute.

Belly at 15 weeks. 

Belly at 16 weeks. 

Baby's heartbeat on October 17, 2011. 144 beats per minute. 

Rangers in the ALCS

Craig and I had a HUGE night tonight! We started to set up the blog and watched the Rangers take on the Tigers for game 2 in the ALCS. The super long game went into extra innings and ended with Nellie Cruz hitting a walk off grand slam! With all of the cheering from us and barking from Bowser, you would have thought they won the World Series! Just another night in the Skistimas household.

I don't know how wonderful we will be at updating the blog, but our plan is to tell you all about the pregnancy and planning for baby! Well, maybe not ALL about the pregnancy, but just the fun stuff!