We moved...

... downstairs. For those of you who have never been to our house: We have two bed rooms on the main floor. Upstairs there are two more bed rooms. One is smaller which we used for a computer room. The other room is bigger and that's where our bed room was. We decided that it would be a lot of stair climbing if we kept our room up there and used the computer room for a nursery. So, we moved down stairs. We were basically using the two bed rooms on our main floor as his/hers laundry rooms. It was getting out of control. This move forced me to go through all of my clothes - what a chore!

I am going to share a secret: I have a laundry problem. I have two over-flowing hampers. When I go to do a load of laundry, I just pull out the clothes that I want to wear in the near future ... and forget about the rest. The clothes pile up. It got out of control. Yesterday I did FIVE jumbo loads of laundry. All my clothes, none of Mike's. It is a sin to have that many clothes. Today I found a home for all those clothes. It feels so good. Anyone need a new outfit?

So now we officially have a "baby room." We've been trying to buy some of the more expensive items now - crib, camcorder, yesterday we bought a stroller/car seat combo, I got Mike a jogging stroller for Christmas. Mike put the crib together today - is it too early for that? I wanted him to at least take it out of the box so we could see if it was damaged in any way during shipping. Once it was out of the box we didn't want to leave it laying on the floor for months. So, it's up. It's so weird to walk by and see a crib...

What I'm craving at this moment: strawberry smoothie, McDonald's cheeseburger, raspberry yogurt

Fun over the past week:

- Mike's company Christmas party: This was the first year we've been able to go. It was held at a hotel downtown. The dinner was awesome. Everyone dressed up. Door prizes like cameras, DVD players, Wii, navigation system, etc. (I really wanted to win the popcorn popper... didn't. Mike kept saying, "Of all those prizes, you want the popcorn popper? It costs like $10)." The best part of the night was after dinner - dueling pianos! I wish I worked for a company that could do stuff like this! As much as I love being a nurse, I admit to dreams of being a secretary. I want to work Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm. I want to have bins of colored paperclips and post its. Ahh...

- Getting locked out of the house: I had just gotten out of the shower (wet hair!!). Darrell really had to whiz. Usually we let him out the back door into the back yard. That day the back door was iced shut. So I decided to let him out the side door and just go with him. I left the main door open and shut the screen door behind me - little did I know the outside handle was also frozen! We were locked out! I was in my p.j.'s with wet hair! After a couple wimpy unsuccessful attempts to pry open a window... I almost started crying. I didn't have my phone, I don't know our neighbors, I'm wearing Sponge Bob pajama pants, temp of 4, no money, frozen dog. I ended up karate kicking the handle on the door until it opened. With each kick I was so thankful that I'm only 3 months pregnant, and not 8! I really need to think about hiding a key outside.

- Mischief: I'm pretty sure Darrell knows about the baby. He used to sleep curled up behind my knees or at my feet. In the past week, he's been curling up around my belly. Will not lay by my feet. Darrell's also been getting into a lot of mischief lately. Opening Christmas presents/ getting into the garbage which he hasn't done in months/ eating snacks out of my purse/ the list goes on. He's such a little pip-squeak that it's hard to get mad at him. And apparently our discipline doesn't work because he keeps doing it. Cravings this week: Asiago cheese bagel with cream cheese from Panera, cheese balls, gum balls.

Braved a blizzard to go to my 12 week OB appointment - only to have them dip my urine, listen to baby's heart beat, and out the door in 10 minutes - which I could have done at work for free. Oh well, it was exciting to hear it. The rate was 166 - he/she's wild! Gonna have a little hyper child. Running in circles and eating pixie sticks. Everyone thinks I'm having a girl because of the high heart rate. Since the day I found out I was pregnant I've thought it's a boy. I guess we'll see at the ultrasound - which I can't wait for! It's scheduled for Feb. 1. Then I can finally start shopping for bedding/clothes/etc. Recently I bought a crib:

It's still in the box waiting to be assembled. It's on Mike's chore list. I also bought the orange Bumbo I've been dying for. It's chair for babies basically, once they can hold their heads up. It's made of foam-type material. I really wanted the orange one because that's my favorite color, but it was hard to find. Only available at Target.com. I'm not planning on registering at Target so I just went ahead and bought it. It's so cute. I'm trying to get Darrell to sit in it.

No new cravings. No nausea - thank God! Still having a hard time brushing my teeth - makes me gag. No baby bump yet. I've noticed that everyone is staring at my stomach, trying to see if I'm showing yet. One girl at work even rubbed my stomach... yikes.

Week 12: On day two of being nausea-free! I'm hoping I've felt the last of that! I've been nauseous 24/7 for the past six weeks. Blech. I have an OB appointment tomorrow... should be able to hear the babe's heart beat. I've been resisting the urge to find/hear it myself at work with the doppler, but I'm waiting for Mike. I'm still feeling like it's a boy. In my dream last night I had a huge belly. My dream last week was that I was growing seven babies. My abdomen is starting to feel bigger. No weight gain yet. I read that in the second trimester I will gain one to two pounds A WEEK. That should be interesting. Been craving McDonald's fish sandwich with extra tartar.

Baby makes 4

October 19: Positive test!
Week 5: Feeling great. Still shocked. Can't stop smiling.
Week 6: Have told a few people - parents, siblings, best friend. Dreaming of chocolate cake. Keep saying "I don't even feel pregnant!" (this phrase will haunt me next week)
Week 7: Morning sickness is on! More like all day sickness. Barfed once at the movie theater. This is not fun. My sister's wedding is this week. Wondering if anyone will notice I'm not drinking/pretending to drink? It was so hard not to tell my family at the wedding.
Week 8: My first OB appointment. Due date is June 20. Scheduled all my future appointments. Most excited about the ultrasound on February 1st to see if it's a boy or a girl!
Week 9: Either nausea is slightly improving or I'm just getting used to it. Plans to tell the rest of the world next week. Started thumbing through the baby name book. Mike likes traditional Irish names - shocker. I think it's too hard to get serious about names until I know if it's a boy/girl.

More details later on this exciting adventure!
-Becka, Mike, Darrell, & baby

Productive boycot

Like I said before in my previous post, we have been out of town every weekend for the past few months. It's been a fun summer, but I'm sick of packing my bags every Thursday. My days off are spent out of town, which isn't really a productive day off. There is so much I want/need to do around our house. We moved in two years ago and I still feel like I'm living in someone else's house. Lately I've done a few projects to make this house feel more like our home. When we first moved in I painted the shutters and bathroom - which were both burgundy by the way, my least favorite color ever. Last February I painted our bedroom a "midnight blue" which turned out awesome. I've been wanting to paint the kitchen since I first saw it. It is what I would describe as "country blue," hell it had blue and white checkered curtains when we moved in. Gross! Luckily my mom is super talented and made me some cute curtains to spice it up a little bit. Anyways, Mike and his brother are running a marathon together in Kansas City this weekend. I really wanted to go. I love cheering on my husband... but... there is only so much exercise watching a wife can endure. Plus, I had to work this weekend and it was my co-workers baby shower. So, I boycotted the trip. Put my foot down. Stayed home. Mike threatened to take Darrell with him to Kansas City as punishment. Ha. Anyways - I painted my kitchen last night. Took me four hours. Thought it would be a good idea to have a couple beers... until I had to stand on a stool and hold a tray of paint. In this picture you can see the old blue, and the new *Spiced Pumpkin.* Before you judge the orange, let me tell you my bathroom is painted lime green. I love bright colors. It may not be the color you'd paint your kitchen, but it's totally me.

I bought this pineapple cookie jar over a year ago. I always new it would someday look perfect in my kitchen.
I pulled Darrell's bed into the kitchen so he could watch. He's laying on the pink Snuggie Mike got me for our anniversary. :)
I got this table for my birthday. It's a pub-style table with two stools. Perfect for our little family.

What's new

What's been going on at the McGinn house? Not much, we've been out of town almost every weekend for the past few months. Most exciting of all was the trip to Madison for Mike's Ironman. 2.4 mile swim + 112 mile bike + 26.2 mile run. He finished in 11 hours and 30 minutes. It was amazing. What an accomplishment. He has a marathon later this month and after that wife says "no more exercise!" ... for a while atleast...

Happy birthday Brooke! Which means it's my birthday too ya! The big 27. I wish I was 19 again...

Worth the money

In my quest to be the perfect wife, I've started cooking more. I have found that some grocery items are worth the money. For instance...

Skippy peanut butter. It's awesome. You can't go cheap on peanut butter. The real deal tastes so much better. I was raised on Skippy and I've converted my ex-Jiffy-lovin' husband too.

What about jelly? I insist on having Welch's squeezable grape jelly. Maybe I'm biased because my maiden name is Welch and I someday hope to reap the profits from jelly sales.....

Next item: tuna. I have recently come to love tuna in the foil pouch. No messing around with the can opener and trying to drain the can without getting the juice on your hands.
Stay tuned for grocery items that I think are...
the cheaper, the better!

Seven

Today my little dude turns seven. We are planning an outing to Petsmart so Darrell can pick out a new friend (stuffed animal). He is so sweet with his toys. He carries them around and loves on them like they are his friends. I can't believe we adopted Darrell three years ago. It seems like we've always had him.

Look at his cute little crooked tail:
Darrell's favorite place to be: (Mine too - shh don't tell Mike - he's not as snuggly)
This birthday, #7, make me sad though. I keep thinking that he is getting older......... one year closer...... to not being around. Too awful to think about.

Happy birthday Billy!

Just wanted to wish my one-and-only brother a happy birthday!

Happy 28th Billy!

Love,
Your favorite sister

Ellie's visit

My niece, Ellie, is visiting for the week. My brother and sister-in-law are on vacation. She is so easy! And her and Darrell are in love... it's so cute. They get along really well.

Here is Ellie laying on Darrell's bed (she doesn't quite fit...). She's playing with Darrell's favorite pig.

She's so sleepy after a long day of playing. She isn't allowed on the couch at home, but when you stay at Aunt Becka's the rules don't apply!

Me and Ellie:

It's very different to have a big dog in our house. I don't know if you can tell by the pictures, but Ellie is huge! I know she's close to 100 pounds. I have been sleeping in the guest bedroom while she's here... because Mike, myself, Ellie, and Darrell can't fit in the same bed. Ellie has been falling asleep with me, and then Darrell sneaks in during the night. I'm starting to miss my husband! He's probably happy to stretch out and not have me watching tv until wee hours of the night. Oh, the things you do for dogs!

Our newest addition

Announcing the newest addition to the McGinn family.... no, not a baby.... a tandem bike!

Mike has been on the prowl for a tandem bike for quite some time. I kept telling him NO because I didn't want to be forced into outdoor activity. I'm more of an indoors/air condition type girl. Anyway, I finally caved and let Mike buy a tandem bike. The weather was gorgeous tonight so we decided to take it for a spin.

The last time I rode a bike (a really classy Huffy from K-Mart), the chain fell off and I fell bit the dust. Here is how nervous I was before the ride:

So what if my main motivation for a bike ride was to to get a hot fudge sundae?

I made it home in one piece. Now all I need is a basket for Darrell...

School's out for life!

May 16, 2009. My sister, Brooke, graduates from the University of Iowa (with her doctorate in audiology!!!). Must work a full-time job for the first time in 26 years. No more Mommy/Daddy insurance. No more shopping trips funded by yours truly. Welcome to the real world, Brooke! Start counting the days 'til retirement.

Here is Brooke after she presented a case study for her final class:

Brooke Welch, AUD:

My family:
left to right: Billy (brother), Mom, Brooke (sister), Dad, ME!
We had a great time in Iowa City, celebrating Brooke's graduation. I am so proud of her determination, hard work, and commitment! Way to go girl! Now you can afford to buy me that Coach purse you promised...

Goodbye Libby

A few months ago, Brooke noticed a lump on her shoulder. It sprung up overnight. It continued to grow and become painful. She decided to have it removed last week. As her personal nurse, I was there.

A few weeks before the lump-removal, Brooke visited me in Des Moines. I refer to her lump as "Libby. Libby the lump." Since Brooke loves cookies from Great American Cookie Company, I surprised her with this. It says "Goodbye Libby."


Here is Libby on the day of the operation:

Brooke was embarrassed when I was taking pictures of her pre-op. I said, "Come on Brooke. It's for my blog!"

What remains of Libby:Thanks for being such a great patient Brooke! Expect your bill for my services in about two weeks. :)

Easter

What a weird Easter this has been. Mike and I stayed in Des Moines for the weekend. I was in Minneapolis on Thursday - Saturday with my sister (What was I doing there? You'll find out soon in a future blog). Our Easter Sunday started with church at 8:30, then we went to a breakfast buffet. We took a long nap and now Mike is outside landscaping our driveway. He is lining the driveway with brick and planting red tulips. He is becoming so handy. I am working tonight for a few hours... I wish I was with my family. I bet my Grandma D would still let me hunt for eggs even though I'm 26....

Vote for Darrell

www.desmoinesregister.com

click on "cutest canine" section

search for:becka

vote 5 times per day!

Cutest Canine

It's time again for the "Cutest Canine" contest for the Des Moines Register. Voting begins April 6 and goes until April 14. Last year a Jack Russell/beagle mix won... and this year another Jack Russell will win - Darrell! On April 6 I will tell you how to log on and vote. Here's the picture I entered into the contest:I think I could win for cutest husband too.

Vet

I took Darrell to the vet today for his yearly checkup and shots. I decided to try a different vet that is closer to our home. I went there because our friend's have gone to this vet for years and had great things to say about the place.

Likes: closer to home, friendly vet assistant, cheaper, vet assistant was great with Darrell, free nail trim, most thorough exam Darrell has ever received

Dislikes: rude receptionist (I'm positive I scheduled the appointment for 10:00, NOT 9:30), no-nonsense vet (I know he's a dog but come on, at least appease the dog mom and speak to my dog, a simple "good boy" would be nice), Sure the shots are the same every year but please tell me what you're shooting into my dog's neck next time, the heart worm pills are more expensive and not the chewy ones that Darrell likes - the receptionist tells me to put the pill in a piece of cheese. Duh, you don't think I've tried that. Don't you know that I'm working with the world's smartest dog who will just lick off the cheese and leave the pill?

The vet seemed concerned about Darrell's "peach arms." Darrell has a habit of licking his front legs. The vet said it's not a problem right now because his legs are not inflamed or red. He suggested that I think about putting a cone around Darrell's head "only for a few months" so he can't lick his legs. FEW MONTHS? That's a couple years in the dog world. Darrell would be pissed. He would be miserable. The vet said Darrell would probably go back to licking his legs once the cone was removed - so what's the point? How is a dog supposed to sleep under the covers with a cone around his head?
Then the vet goes on a five minute ramble (which I did appreciate) about different medications that I could give to Darrell to sedate him enough that he wouldn't lick himself. First of all, No. I am not doping my dog up on antidepressants for a licking problem that really isn't a problem. Second of all, just because he's drowsy doesn't mean he won't still lick... right? Then the vet quickly mentioned the long term side effect of these medications - liver problems. No way, I will take "peach arms" over liver failure any day. The conclusion was that as long as his legs don't become red or inflamed then he doesn't need meds or a cone.

I left the vet office with mixed emotions. I want our old vet back. The vet who sits on the floor and examines my dog. Who rubs his belly and gives him treats after his shots (even though Darrell spit out the treat last time and walked away - ha!). Maybe I'll give this new guy another chance... we'll see what Darrell thinks.

Pain scale

*One of my biggest frustrations as a nurse in the emergency department is "THE PAIN SCALE." I get so tired of saying, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?" Yes, I know pain is subjective. I have to document whatever rating the patient gives to his pain. But come on... You wouldn't believe the crazy answers people give when asked to rate their pain.
For example:

• "Does the scale go higher than 10?" - No, if it did I would tell you. Just rate your pain so we can move on.
• "Between 7 and 9" - Umm, in my world this is an 8.
  
• "8 and a half" - Half is not an option. If you say "something and a half" your pain score will automatically be rounded down to the nearest number.
  
• "Definitely 10/10!" - Meanwhile, the patient is texting on her cell phone, or eating Doritos, or whining about how tight the blood pressure cuff is squeezing. And her reason for coming to the ER is "stubbed my toe last week." Don't make me give you my classic line of "If zero is no pain and ten is getting your leg sawed off without anesthesia..."
  

Morale of the story: Saying your pain is 10/10 while you paint your fingernails in the triage office does not mean squat. If you truly are having the worst pain of your life, I want to see tears. I want to see you doubled over. I want grimacing. At least give me a frown or something.

*working a 12 hour shift in the ER on a Saturday night may result in sarcastic blogs

Rock of Love

Bret Michaels will be performing at the Iowa State Fair this year. I admit it, I'm addicted to Rock of Love on VH1. I secretly wish I was 21 again, had a fake tan/boobs/lips/hair, and was aboard the Rock of Love bus with Bret Michaels. Snap... back to reality. I guess I'll have to settle for seeing Bret at the Iowa State fair, in 97 degree weather, standing in a field, corndog in hand, with my husband.

See the resemblance?

Mike........ Will Ferrell......... Leprechaun....... See the resemblance?

I decided to change the web address of my blog. I didn't like the fact that any random person could Google my name and find my blog. Now it's more secretive... hee hee. I thought long and hard about my new name. I think this is perfect. Mike said my blog name should be "I sleep til noon." Whatever! Doesn't he see this is posted at ?

This picture of Mike is from St. Patrick's Day a few years ago. Yes, that is a perm you see. He grew out his hair for months and permed it the night before St. Paddy's... and shaved it off the day after. This picture is famous. My sister made buttons out of it that we wore at my bachelorette party. Last summer for one of Mike's triathlons, Mike's friend made t-shirts with this picture on it. The shirt said, "My Hero." It's hilarious.
This year for St. Patrick's Day we are going to Kansas City where Mike's brother lives. They have a big celebration. Mike says that someone gets shot at the parade every year. We'll see. I bought green tights with shamrocks on them. It's fun pretending to be Irish.

Sticker madness

A pet peeve that my husband and I share: registration stickers on license plates. Apparently everyone does not know that you are supposed to put this year's sticker on top of last year's sticker. This license plate comes from one of the fine folks in Polk County (Des Moines). Exhibit A:
Or there is this one... He tried so hard to put the tan sticker perfectly over last year's orange sticker but fell short. Come on now, really? Is it that hard to line up the edges of a square? Exhibit B:

The only logical explanation to the sticker madness is that people are proud of how many years they own their car. But why? Look Pa! I have ten different colored stickers all over my license plate! Whoopee... you're driving a 1990's Buick, big deal.

New blog address

I will be changing the web address of my blog (i.e. www.beckamcginn.blogspot.com) to something different. Please leave me a comment or email me so I can tell you the new site name. Thanks!

7

Our first date... March 8, 2002. Yes, seven years ago today. I still remember what I wore on our first date (joked that I looked like a Target employee because I wore khaki pants and a red shirt). We were so young! I was just 19 and Mike was 21. I went out and got my nose pierced an hour before Mike picked me up for dinner - seemed like a good idea at the time? I remember not bringing a purse but tucking my debit card in my back pocket in case this guy turned out to be a dud and made me pay for dinner (he didn't). I ordered cheese ravioli. Mike tried to nicely dump me a year later when he wanted to move to Spain and work for the US Embassy (he denies this dump-attempt... anyways, I didn't let him). Here we are... seven years later... married... house... dog... Life is good!

*This is one of our engagement pictures from Target (we also got engagement pictures taken at JCPenny's - why, you ask? I'll save that story for another blog). Mike begged me not to kick my leg up like that. The picture reminds me of something from a high school dance.

I'm baaack!

Hello friends. I'm back after a month of not blogging. I couldn't find the USB cord to get the pictures from my camera onto my computer. I have found it, and I have lots of blogs to write.

Valentine's Day was lovely. Mike sent me tulips (my favorite flower) and this huge balloon to my work:
After I got off work, we went out for supper at Gino's - the best Italian restaurant in Des Moines. They were not taking reservations so we had to wait a while to be seated... but the yummy food was worth the wait!

Here's my boys relaxing on the couch:
More blogs to follow...

Not much new here

Not much new here in the McGinn household. Mike is taking a weekend class for his MBA so that keeps him busy. I like to work when he's at school on the weekend so he doesn't feel like he is missing out on anything. Mike is training for his IronMan, which is in September. Once he sets his mind to something... he follows through. I love that about him.

I have been working a lot, as usual. Days, evenings, nights. I do it all. I prefer evenings because it's more fun and less drama (from staff, not patients). I am going to start going to the YMCA again tomorrow. Exercising helps my mood and I feel so great after I work out. Getting there is the problem... it's so easy just to crawl back into bed. I went to Babies R Us last weekend to get a gift for a friend - Boy do I need a baby! So many cute things these days. I think Mike was scared to death by all the screaming babies and running toddlers. Maybe next year we'll add another to the family...

Darrell is still Darrell. Cute and funny. Loveable and snuggly. I don't know what I did before Darrell. I would bring him everywhere I go if I could. He is disturbed by the raccoon mating that is going on at night in our front yard. Yes, I said mating. (Mike saw two coons doing it the other night). It sounds like a screaming two year old. Gross.

My rock star Mom came through and found me the mellowcremes I was lusting for. She sent me a huge bag of them in the mail. Thanks Momma! Love you!

Check out a picture of my guys at Christmas:

Me, Jess, and Leah

For Christmas, my husband got me a great gift... Two tickets to a Jessica Simpson concert! I have always loved Jessica Simpson and I am convinced that I can sing just like her. :) The only stipulation with the gift was that I had to take a friend (Mike said NO WAY was he going). Ok, ok, force me to have a girls night out. Twist my arm. I invited my sister-in-law Leah. Here we are at my favorite mexican restaurant, throwing back a strawberry margarita:

I am a sucker for concert t-shirts. Worth every penny:

Me, Jess, and Leah:

Two different people stopped me and Leah at the concert and asked if we were sisters. I'm sure Leah was flattered.

I need your help...

Calling all candy connoisseurs.... I need your help!

My favorite Valentine's Day candy has been missing from the shelves!
They are made by:

They are called Valentine's Day Mellowcremes.
The mellowcremes are red, pink, and white.
They are shaped like hearts, cupids, and cupid's arrow.
I last spotted them at an Iowa City Osco in 2005.
I have looked far and wide and have yet to find any of this delicious candy!
If you happen to see these at the store...
I'll take fifty bags.

Movie review

I saw the movie Marley & Me with my family on Christmas day. As is the case with most books turned into movies... the book was way better. The movie had its funny moments. And we all know the dog dies in the end so no shock there. It was emotionally draining to watch the dog get old, sick, and be put to sleep. I think the whole theater was crying. (Do not go to this movie if you have never owned a dog - You won't understand). It brought back too many memories of my childhood dog *Jake.* Oh he was a good boy. I wish I had a picture of him on the internet to post. He was a dalmation and had the most beautiful markings.

Another heart-wrenching dog movie is My Dog Skip. It's the same kind of story as Marley only this dog is a Jack Russell (same as Darrell). I made the mistake of watching this movie while I was snuggled up on the couch with Mike and Darrell. Lets just say 'hysterically bawling' is an understatement. Most of you know how much I love my dog... and watching this movie was just too real.

What a Debbie Downer post huh?