McBloggin

The Relay!

2011-05-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

A month later, I have finally gotten enough time on our Mac to compose a summary of our race from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, CA. I was very fortunate to hang with 11 other awesome women that weekend and wanted to be sure to capture it appropriately. Hope you like it!

Molly's 2 Year Movie!

2011-02-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Finally! Molly's two year movie is ready for your viewing pleasure. Hope you enjoy! Yee Haw!

Diaper Bears!

2010-09-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

Crafty Sue returns to you with her latest creation. Okay so the last time I crafted something was for Molly's 1 year birthday ... 7 months later I got the itch. Or I got so tired of endless baby showers that I decided to spice it up since our dear friends are having twins! I say the latter.

I started off with the diaper cake idea ... boring. So I quickly googled "Diapered animals" ...

Okay not quite the baby shower creation I was hoping for. After refining my search to include "baby shower" I landed on several ideas. The best of which I would say was this guy:

So after realizing this whole "Twins" thing would require two of these suckers, i decided to consolidate into a "Front" and "Back" situation for each baby. So here was the result:

Success!

Different but Awesome!

2010-08-30T20:14:00.001-07:00

On Sunday I finished my first triathlon - The Luna Bar Women's Triathlon at Rancho Seco. Distances = .5 mile swim, 20 mile bike ride and 4 mile run. Coming from a long distance running world I can't help but compare. My summation of the experience = different, but awesome. For those of you who care to hear why, read on. Otherwise, here are some pics of the experience.

1. There's that whole "biking" and "swimming" thing.
Yeah, I know it seems obvious. But the overhead both physically and mentally is nothing short of exhausting. With running, you have everything when you start and you either finish or you don't. Triathlons involve detailed packing, setup and execution. So like a rookie, I missed some stuff during my transition - my sunglasses during the bike ride and my race belt for the run (had to run back to grab it in the transition area after a volunteer pointed it out ... thanks volunteer dude).

2. Hello, coordination or lack thereof.
If you know me well, you know I'm a total clutz. I pretty much have a story every other week about where I tripped and fell running (my knees are finally healed from falling on the golden gate bridge during the half marathon in SF, thanks for asking). So when I signed up to swim, ride and then run consecutively I was basically endangering myself. But I'm surprisingly bruise and accident free! Perhaps the constant anticipation of all the upcoming transitions kept me on my toes, mentally and physically, more so than running where I am doing the same thing for up to 4 and half hours (my marathon time).

3. Training Flexibility
For this tri, I really didn't follow a structured training plan. Sure, I googled when I should start doing "bricks" (Bike and Runs), but in general I just stuck to the plan to get a swim, bike and run in during the week at a minimum. This is VERY different from long distance running. And that may have been because of the shorter distance for this tri. If we were talking a half ironwoman, I wouldn't be noting this. BUT I have to say it was freakin fabulous on the days where it was 106 degrees out to be like "Run tonight? Hell no, I'm going to the pool."

So there you go - different, but awesome. Here are some pics from my experience and two of my fabulous friends who got me through this (Thanks Monica for talking me into it and Carrie for doing the practice tri w/ me!).

Oh, and I wish I could say I was original and decided to blog about my first triathlon out of pure genius. But in reality, I should give props to my wonderfully inspiring friend Lesley - who blogged about her recent triathlon experience in Portland AND came out to root Carrie and I on at mile 9.5 of the bike course! MPPA Girls rule!

That's it for now. Time for bed. :)

Camping @ Lower Blue Lake

2010-07-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Today we got home from Molly's second camping trip (first one this season). This time we attempted to double the fun by inviting up her Cousin Kira (and her Parents tagged along too). As you can see by clicking the album below, both of them had a blast ...

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

I know this will come to a shock to all of you ... but Mark and I ran a 5k this weekend. Expected responses include - "Don't you run a 5k race every weekend?", "You guys have issues", "How many 5ks is that now, 500?". After the race we decided to visit the sac zoo since we were already running our arses off at William Land Park. I must say, that place is a family/child friendly mecca of play, park and ride goodness. I can't wait til Molly is old enough to ride some of the delights at funderland or be coaxed into riding down the ginormous slides (well, ginormous to a toddler that is) at Fairytale town. The sac zoo is still a treat also. Some of the highlights included the reptile nook, giraffe barn and my sister almost losing her wallet and the proceeding sprint to the bench where she last left it ... luckily, a guy had just picked it up and was about to call her to give it back. Sigh. I think losing things runs in the family ... don't worry Molly, I will keep an eye on you.

Anyway here are some pics - hope you enjoy!

Boston and Colorado!

2010-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

We recently ventured to Boston and Colorado with my parents and the Molls. The one thing I can say for sure ... is thank god for grandparents!! It was quite the adventure. Click on the picture below to see the subset (yes, 177 of them) of pics from our trip :)

Molly's First Year Movie!

2010-03-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it! :)

She's Crafty!

2010-02-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

So it's Molly's first birthday today! Party to be documented in upcoming, in production 1st year video. While I work on that ... or procrastinate on that, I should say ... I thought I'd take some time to memorialize a crafty project that I finished this week.

I decided the birthday banners at Party City were a little lame for the Molls and landed on this cute blog on how to "craft your own" ...

After a week of cursing this idea while I cut out squares and letters, I think it turned out pretty freakin' fabulous. Hooray for Crafty Me!

From Molly Bday

Stay tuned for pics of baking Molly's giant cupcake!

Goodbye 2009!

2009-12-31T15:11:00.000-08:00

Its been a great year! Here are some recent photo albums to prove it :).

Looking forward to an equally festive and rockin 2010!

Christmas 2009

and

Thanksgiving and other fun

- Suzie

Halloween Weekend!

2009-11-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

Check out our fun filled Halloween weekend!

Fall '09

Adorable Dress

2009-09-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

Our talented pal Shannon made this crazy cute dress for Molly that I have been dying to have her wear. Well, thanks to Molly's super baby growth spurts and adorable thunder thighs - that day has come! Check out the pics below ;)

Molly couldn't get enough of the ducky on the dress.

This ribbon is pretty cool.

Happy girl :)

Thanks Shannon!

Bitter Beer Face Molly

2009-09-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our Mollster has been on solid food for almost a month now ... she's usually quite the little champ with eating everything we give her (Obviously, check out those thunder thighs!).

I decided to try Apricots this morning since I finally found some in the Organic section @ Raleys ... I think we've found the first food Molly's Thunder Thighs won't tolerate ...

Molly's 6 Month Movie!

2009-09-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

It's Miss Molly McBride in her 6 month, MTV Cribs inspired video!

Click the below link to view! Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=692632643&k=Z2GYY252WWWNUCGCRF32QRS

Note: You do NOT have to be a member of facebook to watch :). For those of you who do use Facebook, you will need to sign out in order for the link to work. You can make the video full screen by clicking the square icon on the right hand corner of the video.

Molly's New Talent

2009-06-12T11:54:00.001-07:00

So Molly's pretty much giving up attempting to coo and goo - she's sticking with fart noises from now on. Enjoy!

Click here for Molly's Tooting Shenanigans. If you are a facebook user, please log out for the link to function.

Molly's Second Movie!

2009-05-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

Molly is 3 months old!

Click here for the latest video of Molly and her 3 month old antics. For those of you who do use Facebook, you will need to sign out in order for the link to work. You can make the video full screen by clicking the square icon on the right hand corner of the video.

And no, I haven't gotten sick of the mac and the ridiculously dorky, yet adorable, photo booth effects ...

Viking Hat Fun ...

2009-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Molly received an awesome hand made Viking hat from our dear pal, Sara, at my baby shower. Ever since Molly's arrival I've been trying it on her to see when/if it will fit. It's finally getting there, so I thought I'd share some of the latest pics I have snapped with her wearing it :).

From WelcomeMolly

Thanks Sara, the hat is truly awesome.

Molly's First 10k

2009-04-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend we ventured on down to the unusually hot, yet always fabulous, Santa Cruz for the 1/2 marathon and 10k. We have done this race every year since 2004, so it seemed fitting to take our new gal down to enjoy the fun.

Molly did wonderfully in the Bob stroller during the run, only fussing for about one mile between 4 and 5, and mom needed the break anyway :). Here she is with her first medal:

From santa cruz

For more pics of Molly's first vacation and 10k click here.

Molly's First Easter

2009-04-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Molly had several exciting and especially adorable social engagements this weekend! Saturday was her Dad's birthday celebration where she partied with her fabulous McBilski family members including her more mature and sassy cousin, Kira.

From MollyEaster2009

On Sunday, Molly got all dolled up for Easter at her great Godparent's house.


From MollyEaster2009

At the end of the day, it was all smiles for the Mollster.

For more pics of the fun click here

Molly's First Movie

2009-03-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally ditched our giant laptop for a shiny macbook pro (Mark convinced me). I think Mark just succumbed to the need to fit in at Starbucks and Peets ... but I digress.

In between baby duties, I created our first Molly Movie with iMovie on the mac. Pretty dorky ... but aren't we all?

Click Here for the Molly Video

P.S. There is audio, so crank it up! Also, if you are a facebook user and are currently signed in, you will need to sign out for the above link to work :).

Enjoy!

Molly's First Photo Shoot!

2009-03-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

At the ripe old age of 5 days old Molly had her first professional photo shoot! Our friend Nicole generously offered to take her first photos and they turned out wonderful!!

Click on the below link for more images.

From Photo Session - Molly 5 days old

Nicole's photography services and gallery can be found @ www.njbphotography.com

Enjoy!

Hello Molly!

2009-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

She's here!

Molly Elizabeth McBride

Birth Weight: 8lbs 3oz

Length: 20 Inches

Date/Time: 2/15/09 @ 8:53pm

Click on the picture below for more McImages of the blessed event:

WelcomeMolly

The Nursery is Finished!

2009-01-29T15:50:00.000-08:00

The Nursery is finally done!

For more pics - click on the image below:

Nursery2009

Jailbreak!

2009-01-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

Well my doctor pulled me off bedrest and the meds this week! Hooray! Now that we have reached almost 35 weeks, they are extremely comfortable w/ the McBaby's lung development and size if I deliver early - she just may have to stay in the nursery for a bit. But now that I am off the meds I am feeling much better. Cosmo and I even went for a walk today :).

So both NST appts went well this week, and I will continue to be monitored twice a week until I deliver. That's about it for now!

Bedrest at 33 weeks ...

2009-01-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

So the last few days have been a doozie. On Tuesday at my normal NST (Non Stress Testing) appt the nurses noticed some pretty regular contractions on the monitors. Although I hadn't really felt anything, they did start to get more regular and tight as I was at the appointment. So the docs decided to refer me to Triage (at Kaiser Morse unfortunately, since Roseville doesn't open til next Tuesday). After being admitted the doctors did a check and found out the contractions were definitely causing me to dilate. I was 2cm by the time I made it to Morse. After some medication which I will probably butcher the spelling of (Nyphetamine?) they were able to reduce the contractions down to practically zero. They also gave me steriod shots to develop her lungs early in case the contractions continued to be regular, but luckily they did not.

So after two days at Kaiser Morse, I was finally discharged this morning on medication. And wow, I cannot WAIT for Kaiser Roseville to open. We were moved around to three different Triage and antepardum rooms - all of which seemed to get worse and worse.

So now I am on strict bedrest until the docs feel that it is safe to take me off nyphetamine and let everything progress as normal. Once they do that, it could be the same day that I deliver, or this all could be a fluke and she may even be past due. Awh the joys of pregnancy!

So, look for my top ten items to do while on bedrest. So far I like the 5 hours of Small Claims Judge shows on TV. Judge Judy - Joe Brown - People's Court ... its pretty entertaining and educational :).

32 Week Appt and Ultrasound

2008-12-30T19:33:00.000-08:00

Today was another day of marathon baby appointments! This morning we had our 32 week checkup, our first "non stress test" (an activity which will become rather routine, I suppose, since I will be doing these twice a week until I deliver) and then an ultrasound to check on our McBaby's growth.

Good news on all fronts, our little gal is measuring right on target (well, 1 day behind but that is no big deal) at 32 weeks and 2 days. She weighs right around 4 lbs 5 oz!

See attached for the latest picture. For those of you who are confused, it is a picture straight on of her face, you can actually see an eye partially open in the corner. It almost looks like she is wrapped up in a little blanket.

Anyway, we are also working on the nursery ... pictures to come soon once we get everything hung up and the glider finally comes in from Goores.

That's about it for now! Ta ta.

28 week ultrasound

2008-12-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, its only Wednesday and we have had 4 visits to various medical offices this week! A 28 wk appt, prepared childbirthing class, our late pregnancy class and an impromptu ultrasound today at 2:30pm.

Our Late pregnancy class was really cool, we took a "virtual" tour of Kaiser Roseville's new Womens and Childrens unit (and by virtual tour I mean pictures on a power point slide) since they won't be open until January 13th, 2009 for deliveries. Word on the street is that they might give tours to us folks by 'invitation' as we get closer. We will see.

The Kaiser Roseville rooms are great (well the pics are anyway) - they are called LDR (Labor, Delivery, Recovery) rooms similar to ABC rooms at South Sac. This means that we don't have to be wheeled around to several different places after each stage like at Kaiser Morse. AND the rooms are private! Score one for the McBrides. There is still a postpartum room after the LDR, but 2 rooms is better than like 5 at Morse, and private to boot.

Also, our doc scheduled an impromptu ultrasound today to see how our McBaby is growing. She is measuring a couple days ahead and is right on target for growth. Boy is she squished in there, it was hard to get any cutsie pictures to share, so I posted the best one (only one) we got :). She is already 2 lbs 15 oz, the ultrasound tech said she looks like she will be long and lean :).

We also had our sugar (glucose) screening test on Monday. Test results came back normal. Woo whoo. No gestational diabetes for me!

Surprise Work Shower

2008-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, last Friday my work decided to be ultra sneaky and throw me a surprise work baby shower. They disguised the event by combo'ing it with a "Thanksgiving Potluck" :). While I was tipped off the day before due to an MS Outlook calendaring function, I had no idea my husband would be there, or that this would be such a coordinated event!

Anyway, they did a wonderful job and were beyond generous. The pics tell the story :).

Several of the conspirators:

The surprise!

And the cake (below). Several ECSS Team members are working to convince me that our little one should be named clever combinations of their own names, hence the cake writings - Welcome Christonica Tirvinica Sridorvis. Eat your heart out Brangelina - we've got you beat.

Mark and I posing for the camera while cleaning up:

Great job guys, Thanks so much!

Fetus' First Costume

2008-10-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our little McBride just couldn't help but get in the spirit this year for Halloween.

"Braaaains"

Happy Halloween!

22 week appointment

2008-10-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, our 22 week appointment was yesterday. We listened to our little gal's heart beat, got a flu shot and just talked about any issues we were having, which were basically none at the moment. This was the "make everyone feel better" appointment since we are quickly approaching the 23 weeks and 3 day mark when I delivered prematurely in our last pregnancy.

We also learned something new about the heparin shortage. The shortage is really surrounding the injectable quantity and size that I would need to use when I am past 36 weeks. Apparently, there are no issues with administering the small dosages they give at the hospitals or even the drips.

The real issue may now be more of a regulatory problem with how they distribute the correct quantities of heparin to avoid such issues as was experienced with Dennis Quaids' twin babies in this story. So I guess I should now apologize to China for my sarcastic remark in my last post. Although I did have a pretty good conspiracy theory brewing about Chinese heparin smugglers and their need to keep the heparin supply low to feed their opium habits. Okay, Okay, I'll stop ... until next time :).

That's probably more information than you ever thought you'd need to know about blood thinners no?

20 Week Appt and Ultrasound

2008-10-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today was our 20 week appt! Other than gaining almost 6 lbs in the last month (darn you Pizza and Pasta cravings), everything is progressing quite well.

During our appt this morning my OB mentioned he would like to start seeing us every two weeks, to be on the safe side.

Also, it appears if I will need to be induced if I would like to have any type of epidural during delivery, since the medication I am on (Lovenox) lasts for 24 hours in the system and they cannot do an epidural when on the medication. Normally, they would put me on Heparin which has a shorter shelf life in the system around 36 weeks. But apparently there is some shortage of Heparin ... thanks China.

After the appointment was our ultrasound. Looks like baby McBride is progressing right on target - measuring 2 days ahead at 20 weeks and 3 days.

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for. Baby ultrasound pics. Yes, there is a bit of a hint as to the gender in the pics. See if you keen senses (and or reading ability) can figure it out ...

Peanut Pictures, finally ...

2008-10-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got off my duff and bought us a scanner at Frys so I could scan our little one's photos. Below are pics of peanut McBride at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Tomorrow is our 20 week ultrasound! So ... more scanned photos to come.

19 Weeks tomorrow!

2008-09-26T18:00:00.001-07:00

Well, almost 10 weeks have passed since I added to this blog. Our pregnancy has been uneventful so far, which is just the way we like it. We've had two ultrasounds since 9 weeks and the baby is developing as normal. Once I bust out our archaic scanner, I will post the ultrasound pics.

As I mentioned previously, I have been injecting myself daily since week 6 of my pregnancy due to a condition I was diagnosed with called APS. My body produces too much of an antibody and in response, my blood over clots. In some ways, I feel like a misfit super hero. Super Clot Girl! Fighting evil with my hyper coagulant stare and fierce blood bullets ...

Our next appointment is actually our 20 week ultrasound on October 6th. Stay Tuned.

9 Weeks Pregnant!

2008-07-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today we are 9 weeks pregnant!

As many of you know this is our second pregnancy and we haven't been telling many folks quite yet. After we lost our son in January of this year I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called APS (Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome). Say that ten times fast :). It is also called Hughes Syndrome or Sticky blood - http://www.hughes-syndrome.org/overview.htm.

So for this pregnancy I am on daily injections of a low molecular weight herapin called Lovenox. I tell you, I am getting to be quite the pro with a needle. Never thought I'd say that :).

So, Tuesday is our next appointment for our second sonogram. After the first sonogram at 6 weeks and 4 days, the heartbeat was confirmed and it is considered a 'viable pregnancy' - this next appointment was setup by our ob to just 'be sure'. We should also get a chance to get some better pictures of the baby peanut McBride.

So I will update this site with some pics hopefully after Tuesday!