Happy New Year!

Enjoying a little Alcohol-Free Chardonnay ...

Wishing you all a Happy 2012!

Love,
Chris, Chrystal, and Chicken Fry

Ta-da! Pregnant Me (in color for all to see)

Happy Holidays ;)

P.S. Come home Katie! We missed you!
Hope you are enjoying your fam right about now ...

No Crying Over This Onion ;)

17 weeks and Chicken Fry has grown over 5 inches long ... the size of an average onion (or so I'm told)!

Here is what our little Chickie is up to these days ...

• Her rubbery cartilage is now turning to bone.
• And she's growing some meat on those bones -- putting on some fat.
• She's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord, too.

Keep growing Chicken!

Grateful (Part 8 of Many)

Chris is pretty much IN LOVE with this. We hope Chicken Fry brings the Bears some much needed luck next fall ... fingers crossed.

Much thanks to Auntie Karen and fam. Perfect ;)

Grateful (Part 7 of Many)

Chicken Fry is all set to take cute pics with Santa for years to come ...

Thank you Glen Ellyn Dziedzics ;)

The results are in ...

The doctor's office called today with the results of our second round of genetic screening tests. We are happy to report that the results of the spina bifida test were completely normal ... Good Job Chicken!

Grateful (Part 6 of Many)

On Christmas Day, Auntie Jan and fam gave Chicken Fry the cutest little towel set inspired by none other than Chickie him/herself! One of the towels gathers into a hood on one end that looks like an adorable chicken head. The rest of the towel wraps around Chicken, keeping him snug as a bug in a rug. Towel number two is just as cute ... I love all the little yellow chicks that cover the white backdrop.

A big thanks to the Morans!

Grateful (Part 5 of Many)

On Christmas Day, Santa remembered what a good little chick Chicken Fry's been lately, and decided to drop off a few little goodies in mommy's stocking ...

Look how cute this Goldfish snack holder is ... perfect size for having a little cheerio picnic in the park next fall.

I'm sure Chicken will learn to love baby Cookie Monster and baby Elmo soon enough ... great sippie cup ;)

Thanks Santa!

Grateful (Part 4 of Many)

Chris' parents also gave Chicken Fry some very nice gifts on Christmas Eve - cozy baby towels and a soft Classic Winnie the Pooh toy. That Winnie the Pooh might end up being the inspiration for Chickie's new nursery ... we'll have to wait and see ...

THANK YOU!

Grateful (Part 3 of Many)

Chicken Fry really made out well this Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, Chickie got some new bedtime stories to listen to from my mom and dad (It's Time to Sleep, My Love by Nancy Tillman; Winter Tales from the Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne; and Nighttime Nursery Rhymes: A Bedtime Shadow Book by Barbara Paulding). Nighttime Nursery Rhymes is really neat. You use a flashlight to shine images that go along with each rhyme onto Chickie's bedroom wall! Auntie Robo also got Chickie a picture book, as well as Cousins Jeff and Tammy. Chris had a dream recently where Chicken Fry had just turned a year old and the news station was at our house trying to interview Chicken because she (yes, Chickie was a girl in his dream!) was already reading chapter books aloud to us.

With all these story books, it looks like Chicken is on the track to something big ... thank you all!

 

Grateful (Part 2 of Many)

"Philosophy: Motherhood is a lifelong joy."

How I love this product.

Thank you Robo ;)

Grateful (Part 1 of Many)

Chris and I are so grateful for all of the cute cards we have received for Chicken Fry over the past few weeks. Thank you all so much. Between all of the congratulations and holiday greetings, trips to the mail box have been SO NICE lately - so different from the usual bills and junk mail (although I'm sure those will return come January).

We can't wait for everyone to meet our little Chickie this spring ;)

"... a pair of jeans that fit just right ..."

Chicken Fry has a theme song, and it goes a little something like this ...

So if you agree, have a drink with me
Raise your glasses for a toast

To a little bit of chicken fried
Cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up

Well, I've seen the sunrise
See the love in my woman's eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child
And know a mother's love

Well, I knew this day would come sooner or later, but why did it have to come so soon?!? ;) What day is that you might ask ... why, the day when not a single pair of my old pants fit no matter how hard I try, tightly I squeeze, or intensely I pull ... Maternity Pants day of course! I have a love/hate relationship with my maternity pants already. I hate them in that they are not very flattering and clearly labeled maternity pants. I love them in that I can eat anything I want and enjoy EVERY SINGLE moment of it ;) So far I have two pairs - one pair of jeans and one pair of black pants from Gap Maternity. They are both still a little big on me (which is a good thing - believe me), so there is definitely plenty of room to grow ;)

Until then ... Christmas dinner here I come!

P.S. Pants look WAY CUTER on non-pregnant model than they do on the real deal ;)

Holy Guacamole!

Two days until Christmas, and we're rolling in at just over 16 weeks and counting ...

Today Chicken Fry is the size of an avocado - the perfect holiday color ;) I usually think of an orange as being slightly larger than an avocado, but I guess thebump.com is talking about length, and if that's the case, Chicken Fry is a whopping .6 of an inch longer than last Friday ... keep growing little Chickie. Sometime this week I sort of nicknamed Chicken Fry "Chickie". Everything I've read lately suggests that we start talking to baby, so when it's just the two of us, Chickie it is ;) Don't worry ... I wouldn't dare call him/her that in front of the big kids ...

Chickie had another check-up on Wednesday and did so well. Perfect heartbeat, again. That's my Chicken ;) We had another round of genetic testing done and are waiting to hear the results ... probably sometime after the holidays. The doctor we saw actually lives in Glencoe and his kids (who are all grown up now), went to the school where I've been working at for the past 6 years. He told me that if my water breaks at work, feel free to give him a ring, stop by his house, and he'll personally deliver me there ... what a nice guy. Looks like Chicken Fry and I are in good hands ;)

Here is what 16 week old chickens are supposedly working on:

• She's listening to your voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears.
• She's growing hair, lashes and eyebrows.
• And she's forming taste buds.

I went out to dinner last night with my mom, Boo, and Sarah. Sarah and I ordered these fab southwestern burgers with - what else - avocado of course. They were perfection, just like my little Chickie ;)

Go Ramblers!

Chris was starting to get a little jealous of the cute little U of I onsie we have for Chicken Fry, so he came home from work the other night with a little surprise of his own. We typically have a fun little sports rivalry going on in our home (i.e. U of I/Cubbies over Loyola/Sox), so normally I would have tried to veto such surprises, but I couldn't resist welcoming this awfully adorable newborn onsie to our collection ;) It's SO TINY!

This year we purchased Loyola Basketball season tickets in honor of the newly constructed Gentile Arena. Tonight the Ramblers take on Rockhurst (whoever they are) ... GO RAMBLERS!

Season's Greetings

It was SOOO nice to wake up this morning, knowing I have the next 2+ weeks off of work and school with lots of shopping, cookie baking, dinners with friends, and holiday parties to look forward to.

Hey Chicago, look at all the snow out there ... perfect timing.

We wish everyone a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON. xoxo.

Orange You Glad It's The Weekend?!

15 weeks and, according to our Friday fruit update from thebump.com, Chicken Fry is weighing in around 2 to 3 ounces and measuring the size of a 4.5 inch naval orange. Everything seems to be right on track ... fingers crossed. We have another check-up next Wednesday morning.

Just keep growing Chicken ;)

From Lemons to Lemonade

Every Friday I receive an update from thebump.com letting me know what fruit Chicken Fry (or at least the average chicken) most closely resembles. This past Friday we officially entered month four - three down, six to go - and our little guy is supposedly one approximately 3.4 inch lemon. That's a long way from the tiny poppyseed we had on our hands back in week 4.

At 14 weeks, here's what Chicken can supposedly do (not to brag or anything):

• He's probably sucking his thumb and wiggling his toes in there!
• His kidneys are making urine, and his liver and spleen are doing their jobs, too.
• And he's growing lanugo, a thin, peach-fuzz-like hair, all over his body -- it will help him keep warm!

I had been really REALLY exhausted during the first three months, but now I'm happy to report that I'm seriously starting to feel a little more with-it, just in time for finals. I don't know if it's the excitement of the holidays, or if I'm finally learning to turn lemons into lemonade, but I'm definitely ready to get off the couch and attack the mall like it's my job ;)

ILL ...

... INI. Chicken Fry is DEFINITELY a little Illini at heart, and can't wait to cheer on the GREATEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD next fall.

Thanks for the sweet orange gear Sean and Kelly. CHIIIEEEFFF.

Chicken Fry's very first onsie. Perfect.

On the Night You Were Born

Even though Chicken won't technically celebrate his (or her!) first Christmas until next year, I was doing a little shopping for this year and couldn't resist picking up this beautiful book by Nancy Tillman. This is our first official gift for our Little Chicken Fry, and we plan on reading it to him regularly.

Here is one of my favorite passages ... 

"Heaven blew every trumpet

and played every horn

on the wonderful, marvelous

night you were born."

And this one definitely makes me smile, 

thinking of all the cuteness that is to come ...

"Not once had there been such eyes,

such a nose,

such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.

In fact, I think I'll count to three

so you can wiggle your toes for me."

To our silly, wiggly, wonderful Chicken,

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Lucky 13

Yesterday was really a very cool - very special - day for Chris and I. Our little Chicken Fry will be 13 weeks on Friday, and in preparation for our second trimester, we were able to have our second ultrasound done, along with a little genetic testing. Before the testing, Chicken had a 1 in 800 something chance of being born with down syndrome based on my age/condition/etc. After the testing, we are so happy to report that Chicken's odds decreased even further to 1 in 10,000. The ultrasound also let us have some much needed face time with our little love bug. I may be a little biased, but I have to say that our baby is so stinkin' cute! Chicken Fry was all curled up in a tiny little ball, so the ultrasound tech had to really shake my belly to wake him/her up. Poor Chicken ... reminds me of Chris on the weekends ;) As soon as Chicken woke up, he/she did this pretty amazing kick boxing move and spent the rest of our visit just kind of bobbing around. We were excited to see two arms, two legs, and the cutest little nose ever. The pictures hardly do it justice, but check them out if you'd like. We feel so lucky to have our little Chicken Fry to look forward to meeting next spring, and we can't wait to finally tell everyone our news. 

Our second ultrasound. Taken Wednesday, November 30th.