Meet Your Cousin

Dear Baby,

Let me introduce you to your cousin. Uncle Shea and Auntie Sarah are 9 weeks ahead of us in their pregnancy and already know that they are having a boy and got to see this amazing photo of him today. It is so much fun to know that we will have a child the same age that will probably be going through the same phases roughly at the same time. Look at how much growing you have to do in the next 9 weeks!

Dad and I look forward to finding out if you will be a boy or a girl in another 6 weeks. In the meantime,start looking forward to meeting that little McGinnity next Christmas. Be prepared to pose for many, many, many pictures together because this will probably be the first time you two will be meeting with many years of fun to follow.

Love you muffin!

Love,
Mom

Mama's Birthday

Dear Baby,

Well, it's your mama's 29th birthday today. You are definitely the best birthday gift I could ever ask for although a very dear friend of mine also gave us a nice gift on his blog which you can read here www.spogeo.com. Thank you, Mike! You always know how to make me smile!

It was always my life dream to have my first child before the age of 30 so we are right on track with that plan. I can't wait to have you join us for my 30th birthday celebration. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the last year of my 20's and be thankful for the gift growing inside me.

Grandma Wendy and Papa K were in town this past weekend to celebrate and we had a very lovely dinner out with friends at Benihana. The chef cooks the food right at the table and puts on a show with the food by lighting things on fire and catching things in his hat and front pocket. We will take you there someday, I promise you will be entertained!

Mom hasn't been feeling real well the past few days. I caught a bit of a cold and flu bug and just couldn't get enough sleep. Today I am finally feeling human again. It is much more difficult being sick while having you inside me because I can't take the same cold meds that I used to knock myself out with when feeling ill. It was an interesting experience but with a lot of fluids and sleep we kicked that cold together.

You are now 10 weeks and 2 days and we can not believe how quickly time is passing. We are already a quarter of the way through the 40 weeks! Dad and I look forward to our next appointments on April 11th when we get to see another picture of you.

We love you so much baby. Stay healthy and keep growing. Thank you for being the best birthday present ever.

Love,

Mom

Your First Picture

Dear Baby,

We had our appointment with Dr. Masterson yesterday and found out that you are perfect! Healthy, strong and already very active. Dad and I had your due date pegged correctly so we will expect you to be arriving on or around October 15th, 2011.

You were so adorable to watch on the sonogram screen. Your little arm buds were waving as if you were saying hello to Mommy and Daddy and your little heart was fluttering away just as it should be. The Doctor measured you at 2.1cm, which is right on track for your current age of 9 weeks and 2 days. You are so tiny but already taking up so much room in our hearts. It was a miraculous thing to see that picture of you on the screen. You have the most adorable little profile and I can't wait to kiss that little button nose of yours!

We shared your photos with family and friends who are all so excited to meet you and love you. We just can't contain our excitement and want to share your little accomplishments (like losing your tail and becoming a fetus) with the world! We are pride filled parents already, just think what you have to look forward to after you are born.

Thank you for continuing to be so sweet and beautiful. Mom still feels great (knock on wood) and is in love with being pregnant, so far. My Birthday is less than a week away and geting to see you and how you are growing inside of me was the best gift I could ever receive. Dad and I can't wait for our next appointment on April 11th @1:15pm. This time Grandma Lori and Poppi will be in town and get to share in the joy of tracking your development.

Grandma Wendy and Papa K get into town on Friday and are very excited to see our new home and hear all the details about little you.

We love you baby. Make yourself comfortable and keep up the good work!

Love,
Mom

Finally a Fetus

Dear Baby,

You are officially a fabulous little fetus, CONGRATULATIONS! Dad and I can't believe how fast the past 4 weeks have gone since we got the wonderful news that we were going to be parents. We can only imagine that time will continue to fly by and soon enough you will be blowing out your first single birthday candle and we will be videoing you smashing cake and frosting into your mouth with your hands.

Mom has finally started making more progress on clearing out your room. I have a few more boxes to unpack but you can actually see your carpeting now, aren't you proud of me? I have been trying to find ways to keep my energy up throughout the day and have found that it is better that I force myself to stay awake and go to bed early instead of taking a nap, because once I am down for the count, that is the end of me and the day is shot. Taking walks outside and getting fresh air also helps to keep me from drifting into dream land.

You will have your first visitors in a few weeks. Grandma Wendy and Papa K will be coming to visit over my birthday weekend and then Grandma Lori and Papa Pat will be coming out a few weeks later. You are loved by so many people already and your four Grandparents are the leaders of that committee. They are so anxious to meet you and love you up that they couldn't wait and sent you your first gift for Valentines Day. Grandma Wendy and Papa K sent you a stuffed giraffe and adorable matching pajamas and Grandma Lori and Papa Pat sent you a puppy blanket, much like your cousin, Jace's favorite and in true Irish fashion a green onesie with the words "O'Cutie Pie". We can't wait to have you model these items in the near future.

Grandma Lori and Papa Pat look forward coming out and helping us make your nursery and home extra special with their love and decorating expertise. It will be so much fun to shop with you in mind.

Well little one, we love you and are counting the days until our appointment on Monday when we will get more information on your development. In the meantime, you just continue making yourself comfortable and I will continue doing my best to keep you safe, happy and healthy.

Love,

Mom

Big Changes

Dear Baby,

Your Dad and I have officially moved into our new home! We aren't completely unpacked yet, and you are partially to blame for that. You have zapped Mom of all her energy these past couple weeks, so Dad has been the leader of the unpack. For now, what will be your room is still strewn with a few boxes that are yet to be put away. I promise they will be gone before you arrive. I am happy to report that Dad, Louie and I went for a walk to the beach the weekend we moved in and it only took us 20 min to reach the sand. We talked about how exciting it will be to have you join us in your stroller on these walks. We can't believe you will be seeing the ocean before you see snow, which is completely opposite of the way your Dad and I started life back in the mid-west. I didn't see the ocean until I was 7 years old on my first trip to Florida.

We had our first appointment with my Doctor. She confirmed that you really do exist! I teared up and Dad had the biggest smile on his face. We received our referral for the OB that will bring you into this world and it turns out she is Oprah's expert for reproduction and has appeared on numerous talk shows. By the time you are old enough to watch TV, Oprah will no longer have her long running talk show, but trust me, she was a big deal in my lifetime! We will meet with Dr. Lisa Masterson on Monday, March 14th. You will be a little over nine weeks old and we will have her confirm if we should be expecting a Libra or Scorpio. Dad and I have estimated your due date to be around October 15th, 2011. We shall see how close we are!

So far, you have been a very well behaved little embryo. You haven't given Mom too many issues, other than the extreme need for naps every couple of hours. You definitely have done a good job of making sure I know when it is time to eat and when it is time to sleep and I have been letting you control the mother ship in those regards. What makes you happy, makes Momma happy.

This past weekend, when you hit 7 weeks, I started experiencing some lower back and hip pains. The doctor says that it is normal and that my body is simply adjusting to the expanding that is taking place so that you can continue to grow. I had my first morning sickness experience the other day, but it didn't last long and after I ate and took a walk I felt great. Let's continue on this happy and healthy, smooth sailing path together after you become a fetus at the end of this week.

We love you so much already and can't stop talking about you.

Love,

Mom