39 weeks and counting... :-)

Can I just say that I can't believe my baby is due in a week! I don't know if she will come before or after, but her due date is so close! I'm getting to the stage where it's hard to touch my toes, sit up from a laying down position, sit closer than 1 foot away from the dinner table, and be more than a block away a bathroom. You know it's funny when you are excited that you can still paint your toenails (which I was able to do last Sunday- it felt as big an achievement as making a really fancy dinner).

Here are some pics of me at 37 weeks:






So right now, I'm loving showers. I don't know what it is about them, but they make me so relaxed and happy. I'm also loving spending time with Brandon, because he's been spoiling me silly. My feet have started swelling, so he will give me foot massages on a nightly basis. Also, he brought me an elaborate breakfast in bed on Easter, just because "he felt like it." And best of all, we go on nightly walks, just to talk and make sure I get exercise. He's been ultra-sweet, even though I know he's a bit stressed out about our home closing before the baby comes.

So that's the other news. We do have a house- 617 N. Sunland Dr. A neat tidbit about the home is that Tavish- Brandon's Dad- built the home, and Charisse- Brandon's Mom- designed the layout. It's pretty nifty, and we like it. Here is a link to the home:

http://realestate.yahoo.com/California/Ridgecrest/617-n-sunland-dr:ebe1a95b76c6dfd59f610cfabfab647

We are excited to go inside, fix it up more, and make it ours. We just need the bank to finish up the loan process, and for the rest of the paperwork to go through. We're thinking that it will happen within the next few weeks. That's also when our little girl is scheduled to make an appearance. While we would prefer to have the house come before the baby, I'm just grateful to have both in our lives. The Lord is looking out for us, and it will all be alright. :-)

So that's the news in our neck of the woods. When there's more to tell, I will update the blog and my Facebook profile. Our lives will be moving very quickly very soon, but I can't wait! :-)

Birthdays and Babies

It's been about a month since I last blogged. BUT I have been kinda busy. Teaching 30 Kindergarteners, house hunting, and being pregnant takes a lot out of me sometimes. But I love my life. :-)

So, I decided to put a new picture of me on here. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you've probably already seen it. Here is a pic of baby and me at 28 weeks. Aren't we so cute?




Also, I just passed my 25th birthday on Saturday. I'm now a quarter of a century old. Woot! I woke up to Brandon singing happy birthday and hitting me with a pillow (don't worry- it's a family tradition). And- I won't lie- I LOVE getting presents. For my birthday, I got a GPS, two nice sweaters, a baby nursing cover, and many other gifts. Brandon also made me breakfast, took me out to dinner, and then made my bday cake. The meal was complete with those little ice cream cups that were so awesome in Grade School. My parents also called to sing and talk to me. It was an AMAZING day! :-)

I love life, and all that's going on. Here's to hoping the next couple months go as smoothly as possible!

Christmas pictures

I thought I would put my Christmas newsletter on here. A lot of the information is things that I already put on the blog, but you are welcome to read it. Merry Christmas and a happy new year, you all!!!



Dear family and friends,
This year has been one of changes and excitement for Brandon and me! This past year I finished teaching 5th grade and Brandon graduated from BYU-Idaho. After that, we moved to Ridgecrest, California in the hopes of settling down in Brandon’s hometown. Since we were both able to get jobs here, I think that we made the right choice.

Right now I’m a long-term Kindergarten substitute at Faller Elementary School. Brandon is working on the China Lake Naval Base as a Java Developer. His job has been a big blessing for our family. Because he has such a great job here, we are looking around at houses in the area so that we can settle down. That, for me, is very good news since our first baby is also on the way (coming around April 20th). We recently found out that the baby will be a girl. I’m so excited- bring on the frilly dresses and bows!

We are loving life right now. We can’t even imagine the fun and excitement of the upcoming year. I’m sure that we’ll have all sorts of fun baby stories to tell next year. We hope that you all have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!

Love you all!
Brandon and Christina MacGregor

The baby is a....

This picture is of the baby at 12 weeks. I need to get a more current one. But until then, you can see our little gummy bear. Isn't the baby cute??? :-)

So, for the big news...our baby is a girl! Yay!!! I would've been okay with having a boy baby. Boys and girls are both fun in their own way. But now that I know that I'm having a girl, I can dream of cute frilly dresses and bows in my baby's hair.

Brandon is excited, too. He did inform me that he hopes our little girl plays sports like him. I say if he can get her up for 5 am basketball (when she's old enough), then that's awesome. I do like that he's happy about the news, and as excited as I am.

So below are some pictures of things that I hope she's interested in:




Books



Bows



Dresses


Ballroom Dancing


musical instruments








Of course, if she's not into these things, it's okay. I know each baby comes into the world with their own personality. But man oh man, I'm just so excited that we are having a girl!

So the name that we are thinking of is Ariadne (pronounced: Air-ee-add-knee). Brandon and I first heard the name on the movie "Inception," and we really liked it. I researched it some more recently, and found out it actually is a greek mythological name. It means "most holy." Here is the story about it below:

http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Ariadne.html

While I'm not totally fond of the whole story behind her name, I do like the fact that her name is associated with being very smart. In the story, Ariadne gives a thread to Theseus to help him get out of a maze. So now her name is used when trying to solve complicated puzzles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne's_thread_(logic)


This post is getting a little long, so I should probably end it. I'm just so excited and happy about the future. I get to make all sorts of plans and get cute baby things. Yay for babies! And double yay for baby girls!!!

Brandon's Graduation

Since Brandon's college graduation was so momentous, I thought I'd put some pictures on here. And thanks again to all his family who came to it- you are all amazing and we love you!

New updates

So...I haven't been on this blog in forever. Quick updates: Brandon graduated from BYU-Idaho, and we moved to Ridgecrest, CA. He is now working as a Java Developer on the China Lake Naval Base. Because he has such a great job here, we are looking around at houses in the area so that we can settle down. That, for me, is very good news since our first baby is also on the way. We get to find out tomorrow if the baby is a boy or girl. Yay!

Here is a prego picture of me. I'm about 19 weeks long, but I don't look it. (I've heard many times that your first pregnancy takes the longest for you to show. I hope that it's true.) :-)




I also dyed my hair. It was supposed to be brown, but since I have a reddish tint to my hair, I got red instead. I still like it. Here's some pics of what it looks like:





So that's the news in our neck of the woods. I'll post more baby details tomorrow- I can't wait!!! :-D

First Kiss at 3 am- Brandon and my story :-D

Since it's just after Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share the story about how Brandon and I first met, and our first kiss story.

Brandon and I met freshman year of college. I'll admit, I was pretty shy when it came to boys. I didn't date much in high school, and I guess it showed. I was extremely awkward. I hadn't even had my first kiss yet. :-)

Brandon and I were put together as FHE brother and sister. We started to hang out the first semester of college, but just as friends. In December, I invited him out to a girl-ask-boy dance. I did so, thinking that he didn't like me as much as I liked him. However, he must have like me at least somewhat, because our relationship sped up after that point.

Fast forward to January. Things had been building up gradually to that point. Then we had a huge snowball fight. I know- how many times does a snowball fight lead to love? It did that day, though. A whole wintery flurry of love. I went to bed that night, all happy about the exciting night that we had had.

The following morning, around 3 am, my roommate came into my room. She told me to quickly brush my teeth and go outside. I had no idea what was going on. I groggily made my way to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and waddled outside. Brandon stood there, looking very nervous.

Sleepingly, I looked at him. Everything was a bit of a blur (I honestly don't do well at 3 am). I bluntly asked him why he wasn't in bed. He informed me that he couldn't sleep. Confused, I asked him why. He said, "Because of this..," and then he leaned forward. He held my face and sweetly kissed me, but I didn't kiss back. The kiss didn't even register. I just stared at him in bewilderment. He smiled, and then said, "I guess I'll see you later," and then left.

I went inside. My roommate was sitting on the couch. She asked what had happened, and I told her that I had just gotten my first kiss. She started to scream and jump around, and then she asked me what I did after I was kissed. I told her that I had just stood there. Her screaming stopped, and she looked at me like I was an idiot. "You have to call him now and let him know that you liked it!" she demanded. Since I was not the connoisseur of love, I agreed to do just that.

I called Brandon's apartment, and- thinking he was the only one up at 3 am- exclaimed, "How do you expect me to sleep after that?!!"

On the other end of the line, I hear a quiet, "Um...Christina? This is Neil. Do you want me to go and get Brandon?" I sheepishly told his roommate that I did.

After talking on the phone that night, having many more long conversations on the phone and IM, and Brandon serving a two year mission for our church, we finally got married. I feel very blessed to be married to my best friend. The past couple years of marriage have been amazing! It just goes to show that a friendship, that led to an awkward first kiss, can lead to a FANTASTIC marriage and a lot of laughs. And as for me, I don't think that I would want it any other way. :-)