2 Months Old

Oh Christmas Tree!

Dear Our Little Reindeer,

The day after Thanksgiving may be your Mommy’s favorite day of the year because it’s the day we get our Christmas tree. You’ll find this out next year, but with your Mommy, selecting the perfect Christmas tree is very important and Daddy must hold up and shake a minimum of five (and sometimes ten) trees before we are allowed to select one. When we arrived home with the perfect tree, you became fascinated as we decorated the tree with all of the lights.  Your eyes got big as we lit the tree for the first time. One of your favorite past times these days is staring at any light that we put in front of you.  We sat you in front of the tree and let you watch the lights blink on your first Christmas tree as Mommy and Daddy decorated it with our special ornaments. We have collected ornaments from vacations and special events and enjoy remembering the fun times each year when we hang them on the tree. This year we have an extra special ornament, “McKenzie’s 1^st Christmas”. We look forward to creating many holiday traditions with you.  

Love,

  The Crazy Tree People

1 Month Old

First Halloween

Dear Little Zebra,

For your first Halloween you were dressed as the cutest little pink zebra...the cute pumpkin costume I bought when I was pregnant was still way too big so you wore your zebra outfit and looked just as precious. We went to two or three houses with the Bellus family and then headed home. Trick or Treating is still a little exhausting for mom and McKenzie as you were just 3 ½ weeks old.  A couple days before Halloween, we went the pumpkin patch at our church and took a few pictures with the pumpkins and scarecrow. You are smaller than the pumpkins!

Love,

    The Witch and the Pillow :)

Welcome Home

Dear Angel,

At the speed your Daddy was driving it's amazing we ever made it home! We left the hospital on Monday the 11th and headed home with you. It was a little strange that they were going to let us take this itty bitty baby out of the hospital and home with us. Mom dressed you up in a special smocked dress that Grandma bought you to go home in, it was a little big, but you looked so pretty. As they wheeled us out we passed a hospital tour group and I remember being so proud that you are ours.

It was neat to bring you outside for the first time and show you the world. We drove home, then Daddy took your carseat around the house and showed you all the new toys we had for you.

We are so happy to have you home.

Love,
  Mom and Dad

Dear MCKENZIE JUNE GERMANY

Dear McKenzie,

YOUR HERE AND WE ARE SO IN LOVE WITH YOU! You will always be our little nugget, but now you are officially McKenzie June Germany! We keep looking at you and smiling, we can't believe you are here and that you are ours! Everyone keeps commenting on how alert you are and how much hair you have! You are our beautiful perfect angel!

Love,
  Mom and Dad

Baby Belly

Dear BIG Nugget,

This is one of many sacrafices your Mommy will make for you. I am publishing pictures of you in my belly! Here you are at the different stages of baby belly.

Love,

   A very pregnant Mama

Where are you??

Dear Baby Girl, where are you?? Your daddy and I are so excited to meet you, but your taking your time arriving. We expected you September 30th, and now it's October and there are no signs of you coming. Not even a good contraction (I have been 1cm dilated for weeks). For months I have been envisioning the phone call to your Daddy saying "it's time", but it looks like you have a different plan. The last week I have walked up hills for miles, gone shopping to put finishing touches on your nursery and even "caddied" a round of golf for your father to encourage you to move things along.. but nothing has happened. We are scheduled to go to the hospital on Oct 6th and then you will arrive on the 7th if all goes well. I'm so excited to finally hold you. Hurry up!

Daddy and I had a wonderful week waiting for you. We went out to lunches, went on long walks and talked a lot about you! Here are some funny pictures of Mommy, waddling around at 40+ weeks pregnant.

Sweet Kicks (20 Weeks)

Princess, you are finally kicking Mommy and I have never been happier about it. Who would have guessed that your itty bitty kicks would make me so happy?  I smile every time I feel your little flicker right under my belly button. Daddy puts his head right against my belly in hopes of feeling or hearing something. He can’t feel them yet, but I am waiting for the day when you kick him in the ear! J

I like to spend my morning drive to work with the music off just talking to you and to God (mostly about you). I keep hoping you’ll kick me in response to one of the many questions I ask you, but so far I have had to just assume you are happy with our conversations and the answers I make up for you.

Princess Nugget

Dear Princess Nugget!!

That’s right, we just found out that you are precious little GIRL! Your nickname has now been upgraded to Princess Nugget because daddy things I am already spoiling you! Mommy was so excited to hear that you are a little girl; I can’t wait to hug you and hold you and dress you in ruffles and bows! We can have girls days, go shopping and get pedicures! Daddy is also excited, but he is a little nervous too, he is already worried about you dating (which he says won’t happen until you are 25). J Don’t worry, I’m sure within minutes you’ll have him wrapped around your tiny finger.

Speaking of fingers, we got to see more pictures of you at the Doctors office, we saw your hands and feet, little nose and cute profile. We even counted five fingers and five toes!

After the doctors appointment Mom and Dad went to a nice lunch to celebrate and then went to the mall! I got you to sweet little outfits and Daddy got you a pink polo and sweater. We can’t wait to put you in these; I know you are going to be so beautiful!

Can you hear us?

Daddy has been telling you he loves you every day, which is really sweet to see, but I wonder what you hear. Doe it sound like the garbled talking you hear when you are under water in the swimming pool?

It's Official, I'm a Mom

My precious Nugget, the day has come when I have entered the worrying mind set of a mom. I use to think your grandma was crazy when she would whip her full arm across me when she had to slam on the breaks in the car, I have just now realized that she couldn’t help this reaction that mom’s are programmed to worry about and protect their children. Apparently you don’t have to be born for my worrying to begin, I worry that you will be healthy and happy, I worry you will hate me, I worry about who you will pick as friends, I even worry about you driving!

This morning was a stereotypical pregnant mommy morning. First, I frantically tried every pair of pants on that I own before realizing it may be time to give into the dreaded world of maternity clothing. You are making mommy’s behind and hips grow in ways she never expected.  Then, on my drive into work I passed a horrible accident. I don’t know what came over me, maybe it’s the ridiculous level of hormones in my body, but I started crying hysterically. It made me realize how out of control I am of your safety in this world; all I could do was say a prayer for the people in the accident and for you. I wonder if God has a quota on how much you can pray for your children, I’m afraid I may hit it before you are even born!

Mommy Math

Dear Nugget,

You have finally let Mommy get somewhat back to normal life. Last weekend was the first weekend I did anything more than watch movies in a month. Daddy took Mommy out in his brand new big boy truck, and just so you know when your Father is whining about all the items that you will need even for a short car trip, he promised that since Mommy didn’t get much input on the vehicle choice that he would be the one climbing in and out of this monster with your car seat and loads of baby paraphernalia. Anyways, one of the places we visited was the gym and as soon as Daddy witnessed my impressive free-throw and dribbling, he established that he would be the one to teach you how to throw! He also added that he would be teaching you math, I don’t’ know why, I’m not so bad at that.

Speaking of math, I have some Mommy math I would like to share with you. Every day I think about you for at least 56 minutes (in reality I think about you a lot more… I think about staring at your sweet little face and holding your tiny little hand), you see, Mommy has determined that she is spending at least  56 minutes a day in the bathroom as a result of you growing inside of me.

Twice while getting up and getting ready, six times during work hours, three times before bed, and the fun ones… three times in the middle of the night.  This totals 14 trips to the bathroom a day, averaging 4 minutes a trip which equals 56 minutes… and Daddy says I can’t do math!

From the Beginning

Dear Nugget,

You may wonder why you are called Nugget, well, when you were just any itty bitty cell in Mommy’s tummy Daddy kept calling you a he or a she, so we needed a unisex name for when we talk about you (which happens a lot). Daddy picked Nugget, because it is what him and Mr. Russell use to call babies. Don’t worry; Mommy will have more input in your “real” name!

Well, it all started early in 2010. Mommy and Daddy went on a fantastic ski trip to Whistler. Mommy just felt like something was different; she was skiing like a beginner very timid and scared of falling. Daddy, on the other hand, had no trouble being adventurous, I’ve included a picture of him searching for his ski in the powder, you’ll have to ask him to tell you that story one day. It wasn’t until we returned home from our trip that Mommy knew something was really different, she made a yummy chicken parmesan dinner and spit out the first bit. I called Daddy and told him he need to taste the chicken to see if it was bad, he did and he ate all of it, so it turns out it was just the first of many food aversions for Mommy.