At 100.

This is our 100th post!  Considering that I'm not the most consistant blogger, I'm surprised that 100 is already here.

We've been engaged, got a kitten, married, moved, got pregnant, moved, had a baby, got into grad school, moved, and moved.  We've changed jobs, changed careers, and been blessed.

In this next 100, I'm hoping to have more "regular" series so I can plan blogs to post during the busy times of the semester.  We'll talk fall cleaning, Halloween, back-to-school, Christmas, crafts and DIY, 40 Days 40 Bags, and Easter.  Jason has been taking a hiatus from his blog, but has a number of entries in process, so I'll be sure to link up to those.

What would you like to see?

Thanks for sticking with us to 100.  Here's to 100 more!

- M. and co.

Thankful.

It's Elliott's first Thanksgiving, and we are so thankful for everything we have!

Barney is thankful for...
 - His "mommy" and "daddy" who take care of him, scratch his ears, and feed him.
 - His "brother" who DOES NOT pull on his tail or mess with him.
 - his toys and comfy bed.
 - the birds, squirrels, and leaves that entertain him all day.

Elliott is thankful for...
 - Mama and Daddy, who love him and take care of him.
 - His extended family, who visit him as much as they can and love him.
 - His "brother" Barney who sniffs his head.
 - Teething rings and his toys, which help him relieve his sore gums.

Jason and Megan are thankful for...
 - Each other.
 - Jobs that let them support their family.
 - Their healthy happy little boy (and the fairly easy pregnancy)
 - Their (mostly) sweet and fluffy kitty-cat.
 - Their families and friends, who have supported them 100% through this last crazy year.

Enjoy time with your families tomorrow, and enjoy the weekend of turkey-based leftovers.

- J & M.

The First Few Days

Elliott is now 6 days old, and life is quite interesting.

We are doing really well, actually.  We're getting sleep (in short fits and spurts) and managing to maintain the house.  No, we're not hard-core cleaning, but just keeping things neat and sanitary.  We've also made it a priority to shower and take a little time for ourselves.  Elliott is a very easy-going little guy too, which helps.  He sleeps well, eats well, and is really healthy.  He has already gained back a lot of weight, and is currently at 7 pounds 6 ounces.  The goal is to be back at birth weight by 2 weeks, but the home nurse (who visited today) said he'll be well beyond that at this rate.

We had a pediatrician appointment yesterday (which was frustrating because it took a really long time and he had to eat late) and a home nurse visit today.  Our insurance covers one home nurse visit, so we took advantage of that.  Both said that he was doing well, and they also inquired how we were doing.  The home nurse was pleased with the things we're doing, and was even surprised to see us logging his feedings and diaper changes.  Those are really some of the best indications of his health at this point, so we keep a close eye on them.  We actually got some "training" with this with Barney, as the vet uses the same criteria to gauge an animal's health.  We knew Barney was sick a year and a half ago because he wasn't eating well.  It just requires some observation.

So, life here is good.  Barney is adapting well and has been extra snuggly with us at night.  Time for dinner (for all of us!).  I'll leave you with some adorable pictures:

This is why I was born in December

Well, I now fully understand why my mom had both her children in the winter.

This week in the City of Brotherly Love, we have been experiencing a touch of summer, especially the last two days.  Easter wasn't bad because we were at my aunt and uncle's house and hung out on the patio or in the basement.  However, today, I seem to be plagued by the heat.  I'm wearing a tube dress, have the air on full, drinking water like its my job, and I still seem to be sweating.  Poor Barney is also suffering in the heat.  He hasn't shed enough yet and our apartment is much warmer than our old house ever was.  I took a nap and he woke up next to me and it was like having a little sun laying next to me.  He's so cute, but the warmth is just too much.

It's going to be crazy hot around his due date, so if any one out there has any advice on how to stay cool, I'd appreciate it.

All in all, Easter was wonderful with delicious food and fun family.  My parents spent the weekend, so I took them to church.  I'm trying to find a new church.  I've never had incentive to find a parish before because I just went to La Salle for mass.  However, in order to get Elliott baptized, I have to belong to a church.  So, I test drove a church this weekend, and I really liked it.  I'll go back soon and try a regular mass.

- J & M.

What a Weekend!

J and I are finally set up in our new apartment, which is a fantastic feeling.  Living with the girls was a lot of fun, but I was ready to nest and such.

After my 28 weeks appointment on Thursday, we went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast.  It's a little thing we do after every doctor's appointment.  Part of it actually goes back to when my mom was pregnant with Sarah, my little sister, over 22 years ago.  Mom had gestational diabetes with Sarah and so she had to fast, do blood work, and then get breakfast.  Considering that I was about three, I went along, and from what I was told, we used to get donuts.  For some reason, I have craved my favorite donuts throughout the pregnancy.  So, we go to Dunkin.  I also get a toasted bagel with veggie cream cheese.  Yum.  Otherwise, Thursday was the last semi-relaxing day.  I watched Thursday TV with Megan and went to bed early.

Friday was a normal work day for me, but J always has off, so he drove me to work (right up to the doors of Olney...sweet) so he could take a few loads of stuff to the new place.  He picked me up after lunch so I could take him back to the apartment to meet the internet guy.  I did a few things around the apartment (including prepped plants that I bought the other day), then went back to La Salle to teach.  We made another trip, went to Wawa for dinner, and got ready to see Donald Glover.  He was doing free stand-up at La Salle.  It was hilarious.  However, the show wasn't over until midnight, so the early morning wake-up time we had for moving day came far too early.

Moving day went pretty well.  Everyone was where they needed to be when they needed to be there and things went smoothly.  The rain held off until it didn't matter anymore; my mom, Jill, and I made great time at Ikea and Target (which is a miracle), and everyone enjoyed the thank-you lunch and beer.  Around 3:30, J and my dad took the truck back to the rental place, while Mom and I worked on the apartment.  Thanks to my wonderful parents, all of the furniture is put together and filled with whatever it was purchased for.  All of the heavy lifting was taken care of by great friends.  Even Barney had a less-than-stressful day, thanks to his favorite non-family member, Emily.  We had plans to see the Masque's production of Noises Off that night, which would have been a lovely way to cap off the evening.

Mother Nature had other plans....

Dad and J got back around 4, and we were all working like busy little bees in the dry apartment while it rained cats and dogs outside.  Mom and I heard a loud "crack" from outside and saw a branch on the ground.  It turns out that the branch was connected to a tree...that had fallen...on my parent's car.  Suddenly the day was taking a turn.  In addition to that, everyone in our parking lot was trapped because of the tree, so even if the car hadn't been directly involved, it would have changed our plans anyway.  Needless to say, it was a stressful day for all involved, especially my parents.  They were staying over anyway, so in the morning, we made a big breakfast and the car turned out to be drivable.  Hopefully things turn out alright.

The weekend exhausted me, and I definitely think I over did it.  I've had BH contractions the last two days (absolutely not regular, and only about 5 total.)  I think that's my body pleading to slow down and be more careful.  It's difficult when there is so much to be done, but I just have to take advantage of J when he's around.  Sigh.  I also have to get my GD test too, which is scary.  I hate blood work.  Eeee.

Well, that's the update on our crazy lives.  :)

- J & M.

There is a method to our madness...

When we first got Barney (the kitten), he had this tendency to lick the shower and other similar surfaces, sometimes just after I had cleaned them. While he never got sick, this definitely made me nervous. I decided to check into more natural cleaning products. I found a spray from Method for everyday in the shower, so I bought it. After that, I was hooked. If I needed to buy a new cleaning supply, it was Method. Recently, my cousin (who is also expecting) and I were discussing what kind of products to use around baby, and she also suggested Method. That's kind of how I got Jason on board. He wasn't against them, but he also didn't see why I was suddenly obsessed with them.

To boot, everything smells really good. The first product I actually bought a while ago was hand soap, just because it was one of the best smelling on the shelf. These are the products I have personally used and can vouch for:

- Cucumber Multi-Surface: I use this for glass and for casual cleaning on the surfaces in our bathroom. It is fantastic on the mirrors.

- Ylang-Ylang Daily Shower Spray: The ventilation in our last two bathrooms has been terrible, but this product still seems to make a difference. If nothing else, it makes the bathroom smell nice.

- Eucalyptus Mint "le scrub": This is their bathroom scrub, and considering the remark about our bathroom ventilation, it is a miracle worker. It also comes equipped with this handy sponge holder on top. The top of the bottle is notched so you can put a sponge in it and let it dry properly. This is especially nice because we have a stall shower (read: no faucet to rinse while cleaning), so we leave it all in the shower in order to clean it while we shower. We also use it on the tub, sink, and potty.

- Sea Minerals Hand Wash: It's hand soap. It works well and smells nice. It also comes in a ton of other scents, if sea minerals isn't your thing. Finally, if you have nice soap dispensers in your bathrooms, they have these scents in a refill bag.

No matter what surfaces you may have in your home, they have a cleaner for it. Jason was especially impressed that they have granite and steel cleaners. If you have little ones with allergies or sensitivities, the website provides a breakdown of each ingredient, its purpose, and its health and environmental impacts. Aside from traditional cleaning products, they have a baby line and laundry line, which we might try soon, but the laundry line seems a little expensive for the amount we need.

Is there a product you can't live without and you think I should know about? Let me know...I'm new to the happy homemaker thing.

- J & M.

New Everything!

I am terrible at updating this blog, but I'll try to get better about it.

The first four months of wedded life have been wonderful. We just love being together and being married. Because we lived together before we got married, not a lot has changed in how we get along, but it's just nice to know we are together forever.

About a month after the wedding, we moved from Roxborough to Center City with some friends from college. People think we're crazy for spending our first year as a married couple living with three other people, but it actually works quite well. We save money, I have people to be social with when Jason's looking for video game time, and we love the location. We're two blocks from the El, so I can take the subway to work, and we can walk to the grocery store, local restaurants, and bars. It's a sweet way to spend married life, pre-kids.

Other than that, not much else to report. Barney has had some skin issues (possibly stress from the move), and I'm always on the look-out for another job in addition to my teaching duties. I'm tutoring some, and writing for a website, so I'm finding ways to make some extra dough. We've spent two Fridays at OCNJ already, and we have an OBX trip planned for July. Life is good.

- J & M.

33 Days!

Today marks 33 days until Jason and I's wedding! Ahhh! We are constantly reminding each other of it, and we could not be more excited. Things are really coming together and last night, I was thrown another shower, this time by my mom and Jill's (Future Mother in Law) friends. In my mom's case, I've known most of these ladies since we moved to Central PA 20 years ago, so they had some adorable stories about how they met me. It was hosted by Kim and all the ladies pitched in to make the day really special. Pictures to come. Jason and I also got some sweet stuff, so we're pretty excited about all that.

In other news, I have two new jobs (which I haven't updated this blog about). I'm a history professor at La Salle and a dance teacher at Fusion School of Dance, Music, and Acting in Cherry Hill. Both jobs are very new to me, so each day is a challenge. However, both jobs are also something I would love to do with my life, so the challenges are welcome and always productive.

Things here in Roxborough are good, all in all. Barney is cute, healthy, and essentially, our little boy covered in fur. He was really happy to see us last night when we came home from a weekend away. "Uncle" Doug took good care of him. We can't take Barney on as many car trips because he gets very upset and car sick. I'm bummed about it, but I'd rather he be comfortable than scared.

Comment away...I promise I'll update more often.

- J & M.

Barney.

One of the major obstacles Jason and I have had to overcome as a couple is our differing views on pets. While we both love them, the species is what comes into question. The McGee's are cat people, and I have not gone more than a few months of my life with out a cat. The Yinger's are dog people, and Jason loves dogs. As a kicker, I'm sorta afraid of dogs (I'm getting much better) and Jason is allergic to cats. So, I had more or less come to grips with the fact that I would be a dog person from now on, which made me a little sad.

My bridal shower was this weekend, so Jason was left to his own devices Saturday and Sunday, while I went home with my bridesmaids (sans Michele) to have love showered upon me. On Sunday, when Sara and I returned to the greater Philadelphia area, we called Jason so he could put some shoes on and helps us unload the loot. He said he had a surprise for me, which I could only guess was a visit from Michele, so we should come up first. Fine, we thought. We came upstairs, and I gave my man a kiss. "Where's my surprise," I inquired. "Check out the couch," he replied. At first, I didn't see anything. Then he lifted "Big Blue" (this giant blue pillow I've had for years...my A-15 roommates named it), and underneath was a tiny, black KITTEN. This was quite a surprise indeed.

A woman Jason works with has a cat who recently had kittens, so he had been thinking about it for a little while, even asking her to bring fur from her cat to see how much it bothered him. He picked our kitten up on Saturday for a trial overnight, just in case the allergens bothered him far too much. Fortunately for me, they did not and we have our little buddy. Jason picked him because he was sleeping...surprise.

We named him "Barney" after Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, which is one of our favorite shows. We considered a number of television-inspired names (Hurley, Sawyer, Marshall...), but Barney fits. His white markings look a little like a suit. He is so cute and I love having a little friend around during the day. Jason also loves the cat, so we're all happy. We enjoy "raising" Barney, teaching him to use the litterbox and not to scratch things. He's a good little kitten, and has already started using the litterbox on his own. We're like proud parents to a very very fuzzy little boy. :D

- M & J