Baby Shower

Well, Maddie and I had our shower last weekend. Man it was awesome! We had a great turn out of ladies and an overflowing table of food and lots of baby gifts. I will post pictures as soon as I get them from my sister.

Thank you everyone who is reading that got to come! It was really an awesome day!

Michael is doing great! Working like a busy bee. And I am still trying to wrap up things at work for my absence.

Maddie is doing great! No signs of impending labor in the immediate future. I return to the doctor on Wednesday for another ultrasound and visit, so I will keep you updated!

Orlando

So Mike and I just got back from Orlando yesterday. We went down for the annual partners conference with OSI (Outback Steakhouse, Inc.) There were a few thousand OSI employees there, from various OSI companies, like Outback, Outback International, Bonefish, Flemmings, Roys, and Carrabbas. Each concept was housed at a Disney World resort. We were spoiled with airfare, lodging, transportation, food, alcohol, motivational speakers, gift bags, and a Dave Matthews Concert.


Our first day there was super long! We flew from Raleigh Durham to Orlando and were almost immediately scheduled for a 5 hour long meeting. The meeting itself was super neat, because every managing partner from all national and international Outback was there, and most with there spouse. Can't tell you about the top secret ;) material covered but it was super cool! That night we walked across the resort to Disney's Boardwalk and had dinner with some friend from Virginia whom Mike had worked with before.


Day 2 I relaxed while Mike attended another business meeting, and then we met up afterwards and headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping and lunch. That night we had hourdervs and drinks with the partners/wives from our region (North and South Carolina) before heading over to Hollywood Studios, were the company had a great casino night. The streets at Hollywood Studios were lined with blackjack tables, roulette, poker, etc. They also had more food and drinks, stilt walkers, break dancers, a band, and lots of free gifts. I opted for a poker table were I proved to be a poker natural. I cleaned house. Unfortunately the winnings weren't for real. But I love playing cards!

Michael got to meet a great American Cajun Chef, Paul Prudhomme. He is famous for is cajun flare, especially his spices that he has blended for the Magic Seasoning brand. His picture is the one with Michael and the older gentlemen,

Day 3 was a free day for us. Mike and I rented a convertible beetle, and decided to drive down to an outlet mall to do some shopping. Once done there we decided to drive a bit farther and landed at the Kennedy Space Center. Lots of interesting stuff there. The best part was Mike pushing me around in a wheelchair because of my edema. He is the BEST husband ever! Once back to the resort we caught a cab out to the Fantasy of Flight center. Here they had tons of old airplanes for us to checkout,and even better, Outback surprised us with a Dave Matthews concert, free drinks and more buffets!

We all had such a great time! Tired and ready to get home, we flew back on Wednesday morning. We were both so tired we had to take turns driving several times from Raleigh to New Bern. None the less this trip was wonderful and did nothing for my edema. But who could pass up one last couples trip with no parental responsibilities?

Stay tuned for more next week, when I report on the baby shower.

Stay Tuned...

Wow! Everything is changing fast!Went to doctor on Thursday. He says I am 36 weeks along, which means not to much longer until Maddie gets here. He asked how long I planned to keep working, which I replied as long as possible. He says I have mild edema, which is swelling in my legs and feet, which I have noticed for a couple of weeks now. He told me to try and stay off my feet as much as possible and asked me to come back on Friday to revisit the idea of leaving work for the rest of the school year. I can definitly tell that Maddie has already dropped her position in the womb. Who knows she might be an April baby after all.

Upcoming events that you might want to check back in on are our trip to Disney World and the baby shower. I am sure to have lots of pictures in the next couple of weeks.

31-32 weeks

Can't believe that this pregnancy is almost over. Maddie is somewhere between weeks 31-32, depending on doctor or sonogram. So far, everything about the pregnancy as been great for Michael and I. No sickness, so sluggishness, no terrible mishaps of any kind. The only hard part has been the weight gain. But for those of you who know me, you know that putting on the pounds has NEVER been difficult.

In other news...
Mike and I are currently planning a trip to Disney World later this month. Outback is having its annual partners conference down there this year and this will be the first of many to come for Mike and I. We are soooooo excited! There will be a cocktail party, motivational meetings, a ball/costume gowns, oh and a free day to visit any park of our choice. One last children free vacation...who knows what will happen.

Well, enjoy the fat girl pictures, hahahaha. Madison these are just for you, the only record that I was really pregnant. (sorry no skin shots from this lady)

Just hanging out

Just hanging out this weekend. Hope everyone is doing great! Mike and I are doing fabulous! We are getting so excited about Madison's birthday closing in. I am getting big (will try to post a pic if you remind me), and are feeling great. Mike is really loving this pregnant wife thing. He is excited and often talks about having a BIG family. I keep saying chill out, let me lose this baby weight first. But I am looking forward to doing it all again too.

Work lives are good. Mike had a busy Valentines Day! We celebrated the day before, with dinner out and a movie at home. School is going great too. I am learning a lot about Exceptional Children process (legal paperwork, etc.)

Well thats about it, check back for more updates another time.

Oh yeah! I am looking forward to seeing all you ladies in April at the shower!

Ultrasounds....

Went in for another ultrasound today. The doctor had orginally thought that I was further along than I was so he scheduled me for another ultrasound. Mike and I will be honest to say we were excited at the thought of Maddie arriving sooner that expected. After today's ultrasound though, it was confirmed that May 5-13 seems to be prime Maddie arrival time. It was great to see how much she has grown in almost 10 weeks. The ultrasound tech. says she weighs about 2.4lbs and is very healthy. I took a glucose test last week, and was cleared from gestational diabetes, so thats super!!!! I was so afraid I would have to give up the carbs I love so much. I did test borderline anemic today, and was told to eat more red meat (no problem) and more leafy greens (yuck, does lettuce count?).


The women in the family are busy planning for the baby shower, which I am super excited about. It seems like we have everything we need for the baby, but from talking to other moms, we still need lots of stuff. Who knew a 6-9 lb little fart could need so many things? Where will we put it all?

Any who, here are some more ultrasound pics for all to see, enjoy!

Babies Room

Had a great weekend! Mom and Uncle Bev came this weekend to visit with Mike and I. While they were here they did a fantastic job putting together Maddie's room. We decided on two themes for her room. We have classic Winnie the Pooh, and Rabbit's. The mixture of the two make for a classical storybook combination she is sure to love. So here is a BIG SHOUT OUT of THANKS for Mom and Uncle Bev for all the time, hard work, and love they put into baby Maddie's room. I love you both!