December 24, 2010

thankful on Christmas eve

I have missed quite a few days of thankful posts but some it up here is what has been on my mind a lot...
I am extremely grateful for my husband. He loves me so well and listens well to what my needs are. He also is a really good gift giver.
I am thankful for new friends in Oregon. They are so generous and I feel blessed they consider me their friend.
I am excited and thankful for friends and family back east that I get to see very soon. They are the best because even though we are apart a lot these days, I know nothing will have changed when I get home. Can't wait to see everyone.
I am thankful and extremely blessed for my Oregon and Washington family. Both dodgie And ricks family have loved me too well. I would be a lot more homesick if it wasn't for them.

Merry Christmas!

December 15, 2010

10 days until Christmas

I am thankful for friends and making cookies.

December 14, 2010

Week 24 and baby sized goods

I am entering my 24th week this week and feel like I am continuing to grow.  I have officially crossed over to the land I have never been before - I weigh more than I have before (at least to my knowledge).  The baby weighs at least 1 pound by this point.  He is starting to move a lot and you can now see it from the outside which is fun.  I am starting to learn his pattern of when he is alseep/inactive and when he is up and moving.  A look at my growth (I forgot that the sign would be mirrored):


With four months left, I am starting to think about what we will need.  Well, I guess I have been thinking about this for a while but it is hitting me now that 4 months is not that long of a time.  We have a small pile of baby goods and I wanted to share a few:
The .50 cent hat I bought when we found out we were pregnant.

Our good friend and Mom of Lissa (Forbes) - Shelley Stuewe gave these to us.  Thanks!

I am preparing for next winter I guess...a little big but I couldn't resist. 

Our good friend Sonya gave this congrats gift to us. I love it!

I just like toys. 
I know a couple of folks have asked about our registry.  I have mostly finished our registry but it is very flexible and fluid.  If you are interested in seeing the list you can find it alternativegiftregistry.org and search for "Christine McNeal."

December 13, 2010

15, 14, 13 and 12 Days Until Christmas

I obviously got a bit behind over the weekend.  I still am thankful for a lot.  Here are some thoughts on the weekend.

Friday - I am thankful for rest.  I sleep a lot more these days and I am very thankful when the weekend comes and I get to sleep a little bit more.

Saturday - I am thankful for celebration.  We went to the GFU employee celebration where we got to eat all kinds of yummy food and hang out with friends.  This may be my favorite time of year!

Sunday - I am thankful for our church especially how supportive everyone is of Rick (and me).  I appreciate our Pastor and everyone else's support of Rick's desire to lead worship.  They have allowed him an amazing opportunity and have really been such an encouragement to both of us through their unending support.

Monday - I am thankful for Rick's creativity and ability to love me according to my love languages.  We made a deal which will probably be revealed on one of our blogs sometime soon.  The deal involved Rick giving me 1 gift for all 25 days of Christmas.  I am very thankful for his thoughtfulness as well as simply getting a gift everyday.  I can't say I don't enjoy it. 

December 10, 2010

16 days until Christmas

I am so thankful for all the little kicks I get to experience. Today our little guy was very active. It's pretty fun and amazing.

December 09, 2010

17 Days Until Christmas

I am thankful for all the students I get to work with.  I love their energy and being able to journey with them during this unique time in their life.  It's pretty great. 

December 08, 2010

18 Days until Christmas

Today I am thankful for good food. I am blessed to never have to worry about eating. Anyone who knows me well knows I love food. I am enjoying this month of many tasty treats.

December 07, 2010

19 Days until Christmas

Mountain gymnastics in New Hampshire.
Today I am thankful for my health.  Since being pregnant, I have experienced a little bit of feeling out of control of my own body.  This has really given me perspective.  Being a gymnast for years and generally always being able to make physical goals for myself, my eyes have been opened to how much this is a gift. 

Only 23 weeks..uh oh.

I am more than half way through.  23 weeks this week and feeling huge.  Maybe huge is too much?  I feel like I am growing and growing really fast.  It makes me a little nervous for the future.  I did read recently that these next 8 or 9 weeks I will do the most amount of growing in inches and weight gain than any other part of the pregnancy.  At this point, I am feeling that is true.  All of a sudden I am obviously pregnant.  I can't hide it.  I can't fit into any of my pants.  I get kicked all the time. 

The kicks I gotta say, I love.  Not the ones that kick me towards my insides.  That just feels weird.  The kicks I can feel from the outside are awesome.  I especially love when Rick gets to feel it too.  This has only happened a few times but it's fun.  Recently I have been calling are baby "little man."  I think he likes it.  I have been playing this game where if I feel a good kick, I go ahead and kick back.  Not too hard though (just a little poke I guess).  He responds!  I read this somewhere as well.  The other morning we went back and forth about 5 times each.  It was awesome.

Some new pics for your enjoyment:


December 06, 2010

20 Days until Christmas

Today I am thankful for my job.  I am blessed to work at a place I love and really believe in.  It is also pretty amazing that everyone I work with I can call my friend. 

December 05, 2010

20 Days of Christmas

For the next 20 days I am going to try and post everyday.  I plan to post short words and pictures to share about the things I am most thankful for (extending Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas).  I know this can be a busy time of year and with so many life changes going on around me, I think this will help me not to forget the blessings I have been and currently are surrounded by.


Psalm 30:11-12

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

November 23, 2010

Week 20 and the Big Name Question

A few weeks ago I was scolded by my friend Sonya.  She yelled at me for not being exciting enough in my weekly update picture.  She said I needed to show my face and add life to the photo.  I did this for her so I hope you enjoy.  Was this what you were going for?







Here are a few of my favorite ultrasound pics too:

I like the little fist over his eye.  Pretty cute. 

Baby spine.  He is about 10 inches long.  Crazy!

So the big question now that we determined a name is, what will you name him?  We have had a lot of people ask us and here is the plan so far.  We actually haven't had any serious name conversations yet.  Partly because we already had a list started long before getting pregnant so I think we both have given this some thought thus far.  We plan on trying to come up with a few names we like and think could be worthy of baby mcneal before he is born.  Then, upon meeting him, we hope to be inspired and to choose the final name during those first few days together.  We think the idea of meeting him and then naming him is special in that we get to see his personality (what little we will be able to see) and name him accordingly.

November 17, 2010

Baby Sex Link

If you haven't seen the Baby Sex video, click here to see it on Rick's blog.

November 16, 2010

Week 19...brings lots of excitement

Tomorrow is our big 2nd trimester ultrasound.  This one hopefully will let us know the baby's gender.  I originally did not want to find out but I have totally swung the other way.  I can't wait to find out.  We are trying to come up with a creative way to announce the gender.  We know for sure that we are going to have the technician write it down and put it in envelope for us to open later.  We want to have to chance to be alone or just to decide on a creative way to open it that day.  I don't think I will be able to wait too much longer.  Once we know, we will make some sort of video and post it tomorrow night.  So if you are dieing to know if "Monday" is going to be a boy or girl, be waiting anxiously by your computer for a video update Wednesday evening.

Here are a few pictures from tonight.  I have officially turned the corner from looking like I added a belly to looking pregnant.  I am ok with the change.



November 10, 2010

18 Weeks

I haven't felt or noticed much growth in the last two weeks but based on the picture, I think I have. 

November 05, 2010

Pregnancy Questions...

I have had a few questions lately and wondering if anyone has any wise (or random) answers...
  • What should you take when you are sick with a cold?  Is extra vitamins ever harmful? 
  • If you could choose just one baby item you love and wouldn't want to do without, what would it be?
  • How did you do at sleeping on your side?  Did it kind of freak you out if you woke up on your back?
  • When did you first feel movement?
  • How should we share the news about the baby's gender?  We are taking creative suggestions.  
Thanks!  The size of our baby this week (a turnip):

November 04, 2010

Home sweet home.


I arrived home from my 2 week adventure to Alaska last Friday.  Meeting me at the airport was my sick husband.  I was very excited to see him but sad that he was sick.  We ended up having a fairly low-key weekend.  I had to work on Saturday and we had planned on getting dressed up and heading to a halloween party that night but with Rick not feeling so well we decided to stay in.  We celebrated at home on Sunday by eating candy, ordering thai soup, watching Ghostbusters 2 and carving a pumpkin.  Our pumpkin carving inspiration was "mother and child" in case you were wondering.  We had a total of 5 trick-or-treaters that night.

The rest of the week has included my debut at the gym...it's been way too long.  I finished up Portland high school visits.  All this just in time to get sick.  Rick seems to be getting better...just a little stuffy.  I just kind of sound like a man.

I am a bit behind in weekly pictures but I haven't had tons of energy this week.  I plan on putting one up next week.  I also don't think I did a lot of growing in the last week.

October 28, 2010

16 weeks

I definitely feel like I have grown a lot in the last week or so.  One of the counselors I travel with up here even said the same thing.  I am currently in Alaska and wrapping up my 12 day trip all over the state.  It has been a lot of fun but growing a baby and working crazy hours along with flying almost everyday has really worn me out.  This week I have consistently went to bed between 7:30 and 8:30.  Kind of ridiculous but by the time I make it back to my hotel (around that time).  All I can do is get ready for bed, lay down and crash.

My belly has certainly grown.  My black work pants that normally have some extra room are now too tight to button.  You can also start to see the little bump from the front which makes me kind of look like I have just gained a little pot belly.  I am really feeling a bit "heavier" at this point.  I think it is more from eating out for two weeks straight and not having much time to work out.  I also eat and go right to bed because I am so tired...also not a usual activity.  I am getting anxious to get home and be able to cook and start a consistent work out regime.  That should help.

One more flight (well two legs) until I arrive home tomorrow.  I can't wait to get back.  I miss my home and my husband a lot. 

October 21, 2010

Week 15

I feel like I am huge compared to some people I know at this point or recently went through this point.  I talked to a woman yesterday who was pregnant and traveling on my Alaska trip a couple years ago.  She said she was the same way and assumes it's because we are short.  You start pushing out faster.  I am going to go with that, if it is true or not, I don't know.

October 15, 2010

Crazy life of an admissions counselor

Note: If you want to know a little more about my work as an admissions counselor, check out the blog below. This was written by Mandee (my coworker and friend) and I during our week of travels together. It may make no sense to some of you non-admissions folks but hope it sheds a little light on what I spend my fall doing.


Mandee and Christine's travels, Part II


Monday - 3 high school visits along the coast between Florence and Bandon.  I had students at 2 out of 3 high schools this day.  Given the next day, this was a big win.


Tuesday - Lots of driving.  Bandon to Brookings with 2 high school visits, only 1 with students.  Fail.  Stopped in Brookings for some food and air in the tires (the warning light came on - I was pretty proud I taught Mandee how to put air in tires). Continued on to drive from Brookings to Medford.


Wednesday (things start really picking up) - 4 high school visits averaging 15 students each visit plus at one school we did 2 visits, so really 5!  Crazy.  Then, off to a coffee night with 3 great moms.  We were so tired by the end of the day but shocked at the turn out of students.


Thursday - 4 more high school visits and AGAIN, 1 turned into 2, so the math again is 5 total presentations.  Today probably averaged more like 18.5 students a visit. Again, crazy.  Mandee is raking in the southern Oregon students this year.  Now, we are sitting at our coffee night, waiting for it to get started.


Friday - we get up really early to drive back in time to do our videoshoot.  I can't even tell you how excited we both are.  Our outfits are already planned out.


Some highlights (from Mandee):


Sunday: As I was driving, I almost hit a bird and Christine put both her hands over her eyes and started yelling "oh my word, oh my word," just like when she was on the roller coaster at Disney.


Monday: We met with one student who tried to convince us that word on the street is, "George Fox is a really really nice guy."  We had previously been talking about how great Young Life is at George Fox and we had mentioned Steve Sherwood.  Both Christine and I were like, "Oh ya, Steve is really a great professor."  And he said, "No, no, I mean, I have heard that George Fox, that he is just a really quality guy."  Christine said she had nightmares that night about calling that student to deny him.  Again, visits on the coast...a little touch and go.


Tuesday: We met with four great students at Gold Beach High School.  Christine began her GFU schpeel...and while talking about Newberg and the wonderful town we live in, she said, "yah, Newberg is a small town, like very similar to Gold Beach."  I considered just letting her go with it...but when I saw all of the students looking at her funny, I decided I would draw attention to her faux pas.  I said, "wait, guys, how many people live in Gold Beach?"  And they all laughed and in unison said, "2,000."  Yup, that's right, Newberg is like China compared Gold Beach.


Wednesday: Almost near the end of one of my visits presenting to 8 students, a teacher came in, walked past all the students and straight toward me.  He sat down right next to me and said "where have you been?!?!"  I started sweating immediately.  You know I like to do exactly what it expected of me.  He continued on, "I have a class of 30 seniors waiting for you.  I talked to your boss and planned this whole visit."  I said, "You really talked to my boss?  Who did you talk to?"  We proceeded to have a discussion about who it could have been that he talked to (meanwhile, students are still standing by) and we finally settle on the fact that it doesn't matter, but when we are done with these students, we must promise to make an appearance in his classroom.  In the end, after two visits in this one high school, we head back to the career center to check out and then when we walk in, the ladies say, "THERE YOU GIRLS ARE...where did you go?  We wondered what happened to you."  When we told them we had been kidnapped by a teacher, they immediately knew who we were talking about.  "Oh that Mr. Pendleton.  He just thinks he owns the world."


Thursday: I had to make a return to New Hope Christian this year, even though I wasn't ready to show my face again after passing out during my presentation last year.  However, I guess I did my job in making George Fox memorable because it seem that everyone at New Hope remembers me from last year.  Even the front office lady asked me how I have been doing since then...she's been worried about me.


Sorry this got so long!  We are pretty excited to come home tomorrow.  We can't wait to see you all soon!

October 05, 2010

"Monday" McNeal at 11 weeks

This was our 11 week ultrasound.  Much closer view.  The head is the big round part on the left.  The belly is the hill on the right.  The arms and legs are those little stubby things you see.  They are actually longer then they look.  "Monday" had his/her arms and legs all folded in really close for most of the ultrasound.

October 04, 2010

Twelve and a half week mini-bump.

It may look small but it's funny how noticeable it is to me.

October 03, 2010

One third of the way there...

I am 12 weeks prego this week.  I am working on finishing up my first trimester.  I have to say, I am excited to put this last month and a half behind me.  Some of the real high (I mean "low") points were:
  • Having morning, noon, and night sickness.  
  • Daydreaming about my next chance to sleep
  • Overflowing saliva - check out "Spitting Pregnant."
  • Having my mouth taste like metal
  • Having to eat any moment I am awake, even in the middle of the night
As frustrating as some of these were, I am enjoying the process.  It is crazy how quickly things change.  I am feeling good now and really starting to grow.  I plan on posting a picture any day.   This month also included are first full ultrasound.  It was a lot of fun to see a really clear view of the baby.  At one point we even saw "Monday" waving his/her arms.  It was pretty cool to see the baby moving and just looking more like a baby.  We also have a picture we will post soon of this ultrasound.  My due date was again confirmed to be April 15th, tax day!  The other thing this month marked was my journey into maternity clothes.  I can still fit into all my clothes but most of my pants are not as comfortable.  My mother-in-law and I took a day to go shopping and try on maternity clothes.  It was a lot of fun and I am really excited about the clothes we picked.  I have already started to wear most of them.  I didn't think I would jump in this fast but right now I am definitely choosing comfort over trying to wear my regular clothes as long as possible.

Here is the size of our baby this week:
More pictures and updates to come soon.

September 09, 2010

Nine Weeks and Counting

This past Tuesday, Rick and I had our very first prenatal visit.  We will be meeting with a Midwife through Kaiser which I am thankful for.  We didn't totally know what to visit but we had a sense like we were suppose to ask questions.  However, I think we were a little shocked at this first experience and how quick it went and how much information came at us.  At the end, Rick asked, "so when do we ask the questions?" and the Midwife just looked confused but supportive.  She answered, "well what questions do you have?" We both looked at each other and even more confused said, "we aren't sure" but you could tell we both felt like we should.  We have decided that we will keep a running list of questions for our next appointment and hope to ask them (whatever they may be).  If there was anything I realized, neither of us have done this before.  We are definitely new at this pregnancy and baby thing.  All the more fun!

We got to see our little fetus during our first ultrasound.  It was pretty exciting.  I just felt it shock the whole time that "that" was growing in side me!  It is so crazy.  Baby Monday (as nicknamed by our friends Mandee and Ryan) is about the size of a grape now, about an inch long, and in the ultrasound picture, looks a lot like a peanut. Monday the peanut.  Based on a number of dates that the midwife and I discusses, their current calculation of our peanut's birth is April 15th.  Happy tax day!

My next appointment is the 24th in which I just have an ultrasound to determine the size of the baby and make any adjustments to the due date.  I will keep you posted as it shifts around.

As I write about Monday and think about the fact that this is out of control and I have a baby growing in side of me, literally being "knit together" every day, I am given hope and optimism.  I have struggled the past 2-3 weeks now not feeling so great and it has pushed me at least once or twice to tears.  I haven't been severely ill, just mildly or a little worse but without a break.  I feel like I wake up and feel sick until I go to bed and even when I get up at night to pee (which is like 10 times) I pray I fall asleep quickly because I will start to feel ill.  The constant is what has really worn me out.  The doctors appointment was definitely a pick me up and reminded me that this is worth it.  I am optimistic that it is on its way out and by October when I hit my second trimester, I will be of normal Christine energy, or at least closer.   As for the rest of this month, I plan on resting and letting my body do what it needs.

September 02, 2010

When eating isn't appealing but all you need to do is eat.

Christine's myth # 1 - pregnancy doesn't actually "set in" until you and everyone else in the world can literally see that you are pregnant.  I am in my 8th week at this point and I am announcing, it is "official."  My dimed sized baby has "set in" and is giving me all the fun and exciting quarks of early pregnancy.

Food has been a battle for at least 2 weeks now.  I told my coworker I didn't have cravings last week when at 8:30 in the morning I was already opening up a bag of fritos and holding a second as back-up just in case one bag wasn't enough.  I seriously can't tell you the last time I ate fritos. I know Rick couldn't tell you because I have never bought them before.  I did luck out that week because my office has a leftover stash of fritos.  Apparently that is not students and employees favorite pick of chips but for this prego lady, it was.  At least last week.

The other "problem" is that my desire for foods changes quickly...probably daily.  Consistently, I have wanted bland carbs.  I have been eating a lot of pasta and one Sunday afternoon, ate 3 bowls of mashed potatoes...spaced out about an hour apart each.  Rick has been pretty awesome and has gone out to the store and spent money outside of our original budget to accommodate me.  It has been pretty amazing.  I imagine he has done it out of his deep love for me (or fear).  Some other cravings I have included a meatball sub from Subway and anything else that sounds like a soother for nausea.

This adventure is fun but this past week has made me pretty tired.  Eating constantly can be tiring.  If I can continually snack throughout the day, I generally feel the best but sometimes I just don't want to eat.  I can't believe I even wrote that sentence.  For all you who know me, you know...I love food.  By the way, I have thought about "Not Your Average Joes" so much in the past week.  I can't wait to go there and will need to go a least a couple times.  Heads up.

So anyway, I wrap things up here as I suck down my dinner, a chocolate banana shake.  This is the first sweet thing I have wanted in a while but it sounded good so here I go.

August 27, 2010

I'm a terrible blogger.

I am not the most dedicated blogger as you can see.  Kind of a bummer because my favorite blogs are the ones I can count on to be updated every few days.  I enjoy seeing the new pictures or stories.  I am apparently disappointing myself.  I also struggle with material but I have decided that since the pregnancy is now officially public, I may start writing about my experiences and thoughts on the matter.  This has been something I have looked forward to most of my life.  I went through many baby dolls growing up.  One cried so much I gave it back to my mom and said I was "too stressed out."  Another one's head fell off while I was nurturing it.  These experiences never left me disheartened though.  In fact, I am optimistic my baby will be soothed by me (of course I expect crying!) and more importantly, that it's head will not fall off.  I count that a success already.  Looking forward to the many adventures that await us through this pregnancy and when this little one appears.  

At the present moment I am stuck in bed, as I have been since yesterday afternoon, with a stinky cold.  I am trying the rest-as-much-as-possible method to hopefully heal fully and quickly.  I am shooting for tomorrow morning since we have friends staying with us.

That's all for now.  I promise another one soon...definitely an update on our first visit to the doctors on Sept. 7th.

July 24, 2010

And they begin.


Fireworks!


July 12, 2010

Two years today. Happy marriage! i love my husband. more to come later on how the second year went and what we look forward to.

Headed to ridgefield, wa to celebrate bdays with family. Picture is from crossing into wa. If you look closely you can see mt. Hood.


June 25, 2010

The Capuanos: Tour de USA


Our friends, the Capuanos are off to tour the USA for one month. Tom, Lara and the kiddos Annalee, Harper, Marlie and London left at 5:00am from Rochester, NY. We look forward to seeing them arrive in Newberg on Saturday, July 3rd. Pray for safety, health and fun as they journey. Can't wait to see you all!

June 19, 2010

Bat-Harper


Harper is one of my favorite little ones. We are extremely excited to have Lara, Tom and the 4 munch kins out here to visit on July 4th. They will be stopping to hang out for a couple days in the middle of their month long road trip. Can't wait!

June 08, 2010

Adventures in Disneyland

Rick and I recently returned from our summer vacation to Disneyland. We both have some videos, pictures and blogs to share. Stay tuned for the space mountain video. It is funny, and scary, and funny, and humiliating...and funny.

I will start simple. Two green army men. They were awesome. I took a lot of pictures of characters from "afar" when they posed with young children. Due to traumatic events in my past, I become extra shy when I see real life disney characters. It's hard to explain but I just can't bring myself to make the approach. I am proud of this picture because it was the closest I got to the characters and two green army men. Way to go me.
Posted by Picasa

June 07, 2010

Poor baby London.

Video number two - how we pollenated the baby.

Painting the baby.

Video Number 1 - How we pollinated the baby.
In response to Lara's Blog about Harper painting the baby's head. Not sure which is worse. Two grown adults or a 2 year old painting a baby's head.

May 26, 2010

Love, love, love this video.


I couldn't have said it better myself.

May 24, 2010

An awkward start.

Welcome to my blog. I feel a lot of responsibility to explain the title and the meaning being "Christine loves Christine." However, to fully understand the joke (or even if it's a joke at all) I guess you would have to know me. So, at this point, this blog is a blog for people who know me. Otherwise, if you stick with it long enough, you will probably figure it out for yourself.

To start off, I feel like I want to put your expectations for this blog to the most accurate level. Here is what you can anticipate (so you won't be too disappointed):

1. My writing will not be up to par to my husband's. If you follow rickloveschristine you are probably entertained, maybe you have even laughed out loud. If I can manage to make you laugh out loud, call me, Facebook me, come find me. I will be very shocked and will buy you a treat (I love treats - but you know this, because you know me).

2. I rely on spell check, not my own professional editing skills. Again, my husband is a pro (literally). He has been hired to edit. I on the other hand have never been asked to edit a paper, not for pay or for fun. Not my thing, and I am ok with that. So expect mistkakes. Thnksa.

3. My posts will be boring. Very boring. You probably should just stop reading now because seriously, you will be wondering why you are wasting your time reading this. Don't expect any good, original, funny, entertaining or insightful material.

Hopefully that is a good place to start off. I hope your expectations are extremely low at this point. If not, please do not come back and please do not subscribe to my blog.

Peace.