Sledding with Arizona Friends and the baby's name: Brooke Marie

Our sweet friends from Arizona flew to see us last weekend. Their kids were really excited to play in the snow. Sadly, most of it had melted by the time they got to our house. We were able to go sledding on Saturday at the golf course; it was really fun. My friend's little boy Logan decided he'd rather sit and eat snow than sled. They were really cute.
While they were visiting we decided on a nursery theme. We are going to use the bedding called Arctic Babies. http://www.cottontaledesigns.com/collections/artic-babies.html
It has little penguins, polar bears, and whales. It seems fitting since we live in such a freezing cold place. My friend Sally is super creative and she gave me some great ideas on decorating. I wish she lived closer. I'm definitely not crafty enough to make any of the decor. I'm hoping she can help me from long distance.
I asked my friend's daughter Emma what we should name the baby and she suggested Cinderella. While that is a lovely name, I think CInderella McSpadden would be quite long. Keith and I are excited to name the baby Brooke Marie. Brooke is a name that we both like and Marie is a family name on Keith's side. Our little niece Claire has the middle name Marie too. I think it will be fun for them to have the same middle name; especially since they will be born less than one year apart. I know they will be great friends!
We also got a crib this week. Keith is going to put it together soon, so stay posted for pictures. I am finally able to feel the baby kicking. It is so nice to know she's in there moving around. It will still be a few weeks before the kicks are strong enough for Keith to feel. He is already excited about it.
Keith has been cracking up lately at my cravings. Last night I made Kraft Mac and Cheese and Fish Sticks. He feels like he's eating with a 5 year old kid. I am just excited to be enjoying food on a stable stomach. I will have Keith take a belly picture soon. One of the resident's kids (she is 3)told me last week that I've been eating too much chicken and that's why my belly is big. ha!

We're having a girl!

We had our sonogram today at the hospital. It was the coolest thing. First it was amazing to see a real baby on the screen. We were so happy to see she was healthy and developing normally. Keith was happy that she didn't have clubbed feet. I was shocked at how much she was moving around and moving her hands, feet and mouth. At some points it looked like she was talking in there. Our sonogram technician was calling her sassy girl becuase she would not cooperate with her positions and wouldn't hold still for any of the pictures. We are expecting a crazy, rambunctious baby; as payback for all the trouble we caused our parents when we were little. Keith and I definitely received the most spankings of our siblings. She also had some aggie moments with her clear thumbs up! Keith is already convinced that she's bound for Aggieland.
Now we are excited to choose a name and start picking out nursery stuff. Keith and I went to a baby store right after our appointment and he bought a pink shirt that says "I'm better than a puppy" We are curious to see how the dogs will react to the baby. Thankyou to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for the baby. We are very thankful that she is healthy and developing on track. Right now she weighs about 1/2of a pound. Our due date is June 16, 2010.
We will go back at the end of March for another sonogram; this time a 3D sonogram. I'll try to post a belly picture sometime soon. There is not much to show at this point. Hopefully this baby belly will begin to pop out soon.

Time in Texas

We had a great time in Texas visiting friends and family. We loved our Claire time! She is our first neice. Keith enjoyed holding her and singing silly songs. I loved getting to see all her sweet faces. Claire is definitely the best dressed McSpadden. She has a bow to coordinate with every outfit and she's already sporting A&M gear.
Keith was finally able to relax and sleep in on our trip. We had lots of relax time at his parents house. There was plenty of great food, a warm fire and of course Keith's beloved family pet Maggie. We enjoyed our time with his parents too!
We got to have lunch with my favorite girls at a great Mexican food restaurant in Richardson. It was my first time to eat salsa in 3 months. My tummy still wasn't completely okay but it was worth it. My friend Liz and I are planning a girls New York trip for March. Hopefully Jen and Val will be able to come too!
We had to fly back to Pittsburgh at the end of the week. It was sad to leave everyone; especially not knowing when we will see them next. But, we couldn't wait to get back to Pittsburgh and see our dogs Mason and Jackson. They had a great week playing at the Thomas' house with Chase and Tally. Thanks for taking such great care of them.
We are now back in Pittsburgh and the snow is still falling. Our friends from Arizona are coming to visit next week and their kids have never been in the snow. Hopefully it will stick around until then. We get to find out if the baby is a boy or girl on Wednesday. Stay tuned!