Shower the people you love with love

A few weeks ago Chris and I spent a week in Ohio with our families.  We originally planed this trip so that both of us could participate in the Ohio MS ride. As it turns out, the twins and I did not end up riding but Chris did!

Cheryl's Crew, Day 1 (the biggest bunch to date, so impressive)

Cheryl and Tim, the hosts with the mosts!

My sister, also a first time rider this year!

Many of us were there to cheer the riders in at the end of day 1!

Day 2 of riding was done in torrential rain. Such great smiles at the end of a grueling day!

 In addition to the bike ride, Chris's parents came down from Michigan to spend 4 days with us and my Mom organized a surprise shower.  The shower was so nice.  My mom creatively strung all the baby gifts onto a clothes line and Chris and I were able to ohhhh and ahhhh over everything without having to unwrap gifts!  It was genius!

(this is genuine excitement from Chris after seeing these newborn University of Michigan onesies, not staged at all!)

And then we took some family photos afterwards.

Chris and I and the excited grandparents-to-be

We had a great time and were so sad to leave our families after such a nice visit.  Thank you to everyone for the wonderful gifts and the helpful advice shared by the great mothers in my family!  

Carrie Carrie Quite Contrary, How does your Garden Grow?

Well, the last 6 weeks have flown by!  I am just over 18 weeks along and feeling really good.  Despite the fact that I am starting to move slower and slower, things in our house have been moving at breakneck speed!   Chris sent me to NY to visit my family and painted the nursery (green) and put carpeting in the master bedroom and the nursery.  We have been cleaning and organizing closets, bedrooms and anything else that crosses our path.  It feels good to get ride of unused stuff, but I know we will soon have a house full of new items to take up the newly cleared space.


My belly is growing.  Some mornings I get up and I swear it is bigger than the night before.  Let's see, have I hit the door knob yet. . . .

Not yet!  We will keep checking in on that!


We had our 18 week sonogram today.  I was full of nerves before the appointment but I was quickly soothed by our great sonogram tech.  Everything looked great.  A and B and growing and seem to have all of their Lever 2000 parts.  They are positioned kind of on top of each other, like they are laying in little baby bunk beds inside my belly.  They were moving all about and seemed to be quite content inside.   Oh yes, I am leaving out an important detail. . . .we found of the sexes!  Ready. . .  A and B are both boys!  Watch out world!  Chris could not stop grinning and I am off the charts happy as well!  Though my predictions were wrong (I thought we would end up with one of each), this is a good reminder that even though these are our babies, we do not know everything.    :)


Chris continues to be an outstanding partner and the keeper of my sanity.  He is enjoying this time as much as I am despite working long hours and feeling responsible for getting the household ready to accept 2 more McLeans.  His positive energy has really made the last few weeks lots of fun and it helps that he is pretty darn funny!  He has had some one liners that have cracked me up for weeks.  Example 1: We were at the doctor for the 16 week appointment.  I was going on and on about all the things I needed to remember to ask.  He looked and me, shook his head and said "Ok, the first trimester is sick, the second is crazy, wonder what the third one is called?"  I guess he calls it like he sees it!  Example 2: Today after finding out that we are having 2 boys, he leaves me a voice mail.  Start evil laugh : "the tides have officially shifted in the McLean household.  All toilet seats will remain up forevermore!"