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Blogging again...

At the request of friends and family, I have returned to blogging! Now that our precious baby girl is 5 months old, I figured I have LOTS to write about, and have a feeling that life is just going to keep getting more and more interesting! If you didn't receive a birth announcement, don't be offended: NO ONE did! We had a little Shutterfly issue, and by the time it was resolved it was already time to order holiday cards. We made a pretty pitiful attempt to give everyone Cora's birth stats by putting a little label on the back of our cards, but my estimation is that not more than 12% of recipients even thought to turn the card over.... So, here are her stats:

Coralie Rhose Newell
August 17, 2009 (5 days overdue!)
4:38am (lovely time of the morning to have a baby!)
7 lbs. 11 oz (ironic... 7-11 was probably the only place open at 4:38am...)
20 1/2 inches long (the nurse measured her at 19 3/4, but we call her bluff)

I have not felt overly inspired to write down Cora's "birth story," so I will just give you a brief summary: 14 hours of labor, bum epidural (ONLY numbed my right leg... turns out you don't give birth out of your right leg, so needless to say, not especially helpful...), BEAUTIFUL BABY! The end. :)

At 5 months old, Cora is smiling, laughing, rolling, blowing raspberries, trying to sit up, and just basically being cute 24/7. Yes, she sleeps through the night, but THAT will be the topic of my next blog... To tide you over, here is a pic from our bathing beauty photoshoot yesterday:

Please leave comments! I'd love to know who's reading. :)

We have a due date!

We had an ultrasound last week, and the baby measured 10 weeks, 6 days old. Our due date is August 12, 2009 - my sister's birthday! :) Here are some fun facts about our baby-to-be:

81 days down, 199 to go!

Fun Birthday Facts

Your baby's birthstone will be Peridot or Jade (Married Happiness) Your baby's Astrological Sign will be Leo Your baby's Flower is Gladiola or Poppy (Orange, Red and Light Green) Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Ox This time next year your baby will be 24 Weeks Old! Your baby will start kindergarten in 2014, be old enough to drive a car in 2025, finish high school in 2027, and will graduate from college with the class of 2031, give or take a year. Can you imagine?

Almost 2009 already!?

I haven't even touched our blog since LAST December, but figured with all of the exciting things going on in our life, it was about time to return! First, and most importantly, we are expecting baby #1 in August, 2009! We are SO excited, and looking forward to sharing the journey! We just moved into a new rental home in our favorite Turlock neighborhood, and are enjoying a couple weeks off for the holidays. I (Chrissy) am teaching 6th grade in Modesto, and Jack is busy being - what else - a Jack of all trades. Pictures of everything to come... and now, just to get everyone in the baby mood, I leave you with a few "pregnancy customs" from around the world:

• Chinese women have to be careful in "thoughts and actions" while pregnant, as it is believed everything she does and sees will influence her unborn child. "Reading beautiful poetry and stories is good, but gossiping, laughing laudly and getting annoyed aren't!"
• Japanese pregnant women should not, "under any circumstances," look at fire or it is believed that their child will be born with a birthmark.
• "Portuguese women cannot cuddle their favorite furry pet while pregnant because of the superstition that their unborn child could become hairy! While trying to get pregnant, women are encouraged to eat round fruits and vegetables if they want a girl, or long vegetables if they want a boy.
  

Anyone have any other pregnancy superstitions I should be aware of? ;-)

Blogging into December

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for blogging. It's nice to know that someone, somewhere out there, loves you enough to sit down from time to time and read about what you've been up to... and if you're reading this and you don't love me, let me live in ignorance. It has been almost 3 months since the wedding and there are a lot of exciting changes going on in our lives! We are still living it up as the Newell-leyweds, comfortably shacked up in Jack's parent's house. We are soooo thankful for the rent-free, all meals included package we've been enjoying, but we all agree that the time has arrived for Jack and I to spread our wings, broaden our horizons, get-the-hell-out, etc; Drumroll please.... we made an offer on a house in town and are currently in negotiations with the bank! YAY! (Please direct any specific questions regarding the details to Jack - especially those littered with mortgage lingo...) Planning for Christmas has come to a halt until we know if it's going to go through... isn't it crazy that we might be homeowners before 2007 is over!? Our wedding gifts (all still boxed and in storage) agree that unpacking our own things in our own home would make for a wonderful New Year.

The semester is drawing to a close and both of us are looking forward to break. I (Chrissy) am halfway through student teaching which is a huge milestone! By May I will have my credential and be able to have my very own classroom in time for next school year! I have heard that the interview process is intense and competitive, especially with declining enrollment in our local districts, but I am confident that I will get a job!... even if it's on the west side teaching Kindergarten (eek!)... gotta pay you're dues, right? Jack is enjoying his job at the City of Ceres where he is finally getting paid what he is worth! (Well of course, as his wife my opinion is that he is worth more than all the money in the world (awwww), but a potential mortgage thinks holding out for a job that pays said amount is unreasonable...) Jack vacillates between love and hate for the Masters of Public Administration program he is in at CSU Stanislaus, but so far he is proving to be a very capable Graduate Student!

We just enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with both the Newells and the Speers up here in Turlock. My parents, sister and Grandma Rhoda made the 5 hour drive up here to enjoy turkey and gravy Central Valley style! I had not seen them since the wedding so it was a fun few days full of eating and catching up and eating some more. As I was recently diagnosed with a "severe allergy to cow's milk" (I know, it's so sad it's almost funny) I did the best I could avoiding all the delicious dairy-inclusive dishes served throughout the weekend. It really hasn't been so bad thanks to Starbuck's soy chai tea lattes...yummm...nothing like sugar to replace the dairy!

We have hundreds of beautiful pictures from the wedding and are happy to share them with everyone! I will work on getting them onto a website and posting the address here soon... just let me survive finals week! Here's a couple pictures to tide you over:







Love,
Chrissy