The past 7 weeks

Maya is 7 weeks old now and what a busy, exciting, tiring, and wonderful 7 weeks it has been. On March the 13th the Egan family arrived home as a family of 3. All of our visitors had headed home and we spent the weekend getting to know each other. Maya had her first trip to the doctor on March 16th and she checked out perfect just as we suspected! She weighed in at 8lbs 11 oz, almost back up to birth weight which usually takes 2 weeks- that's my girl! On March 17th Mike and Becky flew in from Portland to see their new niece. They were great company and even cooked for us several times! Grandma Thoma also came back to visit on March 19th.  On March 20th JT, our nephew made his grand entrance weighing in at 8lbs 8oz and 21.5 inches long.  March 21 I had my work shower, it was great to see everyone and we got some wonderful and generous gifts. Mike and  Becky flew back to Portland and Grandma headed back to the beach later that afternoon- it was sad to see them leave! On March 22 the Egan three headed to Spartanburg to meet our new addition and visit with MeMommy and Granddaddy Hunter and the Steeds. Maya had a weigh in at the doctors office March 25th and she said adios to the 8 pound mark and moved on to bigger and better 9lbs 1oz. What a whirlwind of a first 2 weeks! 

Maya had her first pictures on March 27th and left her mark with an explosive diaper all over the studio- not once, but twice! After the initial excitement things calmed down and we got some great pictures. Maya's cord just fell off March 29th (I realize that it is probably weird that I remembered this date!), always thought people were crazy for saving them, but have to admit it crossed my mind! 

On March 31st Joey and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary at 131 Main, a very tasty restaurant here in Charlotte. Berny and Wendy babysat Maya- it is awesome having the right across the street- we will try not to take advantage too often! 

On April 9th Joey, Myself, Maya and of course the dogs headed to Charleston for Easter. It was a weekend of first for Maya- first trip to Cosmic Dogs (a chuck town favorite), first trip to the beach, first Family Circle Cup tennis tournament, first church service (after which she left her mark on MeMommy and caused her to have to change her robe in between services!), and most importantly first Easter Sunday. We had a great time, but realized that traveling will never be the same. Maya did pretty well in the car, only needing to stop once each way, one of which we noticed a big sign for the "Correctional Institution 3 miles" as soon as we exited, therefore we promptly turned around in a very shady gas station and got back on the interstate with a screaming baby and two stressed out dogs!

On April 13th Joey headed out to Toronto for his first business trip since Maya was born. My Mom came to stay with Maya and I, which was a lot of fun. You never realize how much you want and need your Mama until you have a newborn at home! We had a great visit and managed to make it to Spartanburg to visit my sister and her family- which we are realizing that family  get togethers will not be as peaceful for a long time.

April 22nd we celebrated my 30th birthday. Maya's present to me was 8.5 hours of sleep- quite possibly the best gift ever! That Friday Joey threw me a party for family and friends which was  lot of fun and a lot of work for my sweet hubby (he's the best). He is also building  a patio in our backyard for my birthday gift- I can't wait until it's done!

So, as I said... a busy, exciting, tiring, and wonderful 7 weeks. Maya is such an awesome and beautiful gift from God and we have loved every minute (ok, most every minute) of the past 7 weeks!

March 11, 2009 IT"S A GIRL

On March 11th at 2:23 AM our beautiful baby girl Maya made her grand entrance.  Here's how it happened... My water broke at 0500 AM on March 10th and after breakfast (priorities!),  showers, and calling Nurse Gayle to make sure she was still working that day, Joey and I headed to the hospital. After confiming that yes, my water actually had broken (we had a false alarm about 3 weeks prior that landed us in the hospital with me having regular contractions for about 12 hours) we made our phone calls to parents and siblings to let them know that it was time. Around 1200 they started me on Pitocin to try and move things along. After cranking it up to 25 (usually they only go to 20) by the end of the day I was having regular contractions, but still not making any progress and not having any pain with the contractions. It is pretty strange to wait around all day be in pain!  So, at 0115AM on March 11th our OB decided it was time for a c-section. So, off we went. It was a pretty sureal experience. I have attened tons of c-sections as a nurse and NNP, but never had I been on the other side! The c-section went well and at 0223- we heard the OB say IT'S A GIRL! We were so excited! She weighed in at 8lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. She is beautiful! We had a good stay at the hospital; everyone was awesome. We headed home on March 13th as a family of 3! Our lives are changed forever- we have a new meaning to life and a new purpose!

The past year

Well, after over a year Joey and I have decided to retart our blog. We have had a big year. Joey and I celebrated our one year anniversary, a little early in February, on the island of Maui. We have discovered that we LOVE Hawaii, I'm not sure who wouldn't, but we are definitely addicted! We had a wonderful trip. We stayed in an awesome bed and breakfast called the Ho'Oilo House which is up in the hills of Maui overlooking the ocean, it was amazing! It was peak Whale season while we were there and we were blessed to see multiple whales every time we looked at the ocean. Other activities included snorkeling, turtle sightings, a Whale Watch trip, and just exploring the island. 

March was a sad month for the Hunter family, because my Grandmama Hunter passed away. 

She is so missed and loved, but we know that she is in a happier place.

In May Uncle Larry decided it was time for a family trip and back to Hawaii we all went!!!  In June, Marilynn, Uncle Larry, Arlene, Barry, Mike, Becky, Joey, and I hit the Big Island of Hawaii and had a blast. We snorkeled, hung out on the beaches, played golf, ate great food, visited an active volcano, and just had a great time hanging out with family and watching the Larry and Barry show. Thank you, Uncle Larry for the wonderful memories!!!

Other trips of the year included the O'Shields family beach week, my Grandmama O'Shields 80th birthday party at Isle of Palms, and several other weekend trips to the beach (it sure is nice to have parents that live at the beach!!) and mountain house.  

Joey also had a work trip to Seattle Washington which I tagged along on. It was the first time in Seattle for both of us and we had a great trip. After Seattle we headed to Portland to visit Mike and Becky for the weekend, which is always a blast!

We also decided to take one last pre baby trip (see below) to Denver, Co. We had a lot of fun exploring the area including: Colorado Springs, Pike's Peak, Estes Park, Boulder, Red Rocks, Coors brewery, and the city of Denver.

The biggest news of the year came in June when Joey and I found out we were pregnant!  And now, 9 months later we are expecting a little one any day now! I have had a great pregnancy with only one bump in the road when my arthritis flared up and I needed a short Prednisone course and to restart my Remicade at around 32 weeks. Fortunately, after restarting my medicine I was a different person and have felt great since. Joey and I decided to let the gender of the baby be a surprise- much to the grandparents chagrin. But, we will find out soon enough and can't wait! 

Our family was also blessed to find out that my sister is pregnant with a little boy, she is due just 3 weeks after us. My cousin is also pregnant with a little girl and she is due at the end of June!  We are all so excited that we our babies will be so close in age, it will be a blast!

Steel City Weekend

On Wednesday, November 14 - we headed north to Pittsburgh.  The trip was two fold.  The first, was to see Bruce Springsteen in concert on his Magic tour.  The second, was to visit Cammie's Uncle Randy and Aunt Jane.

Mom hitched a ride with us from Charlotte.  We arrived in Pittsburgh around 3pm on Wednesday.  It was great to see Randy, Jane and Lee.  We spent the afternoon catching up before the big show that night.  We eventually headed down to Mellon Arena and arrived at 7:30pm.  We were joined by Mom and Aunt Diane as well.

Bruce and the E Street Band hit the stage around 8:15pm, and for the next 2+ hours I was in my element.  Bruce and the band were in great form and gave us incredible set list including:

• She's the One
• Reason to Believe
• Code of Silence
• The Promised Land
• Night
• The Ties That Bind
• Gypsy Biker
• Badlands

Check out the entire setlist.

We spent the next three days with Randy and Jane.  Highlights include gourmet meals by Master Chef Randy, The Incline, The Strip, lunch at Primanti Bros., Four-Wheeling, Deer spotting, the first snow fall of the year, touring Randy's work, and stopping at the New River Bridge.

Randy, Jane and Lee - thank you for your hospitality.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we will be sure to visit again in the summer.  Hopefully the other slacker family members will get up there!

Grizzly Dude turns 60

Uncle Larry turned the big 6-0 on November 4th and was treated to a weekend of fun in Orlando. UL, Mom, Aunt Diane, Mike and I converged on Orlando to spend three days of fun in the land of Magic.  Here are the highlights of our trip:

• Mom's tuck and roll into a nest of chiggers.  A CLASSIC!
• Mom on the Duelling Dragons roller coaster
• Great burgers at Cheeseburger in Paradise
• Joey, Nike and Grizzly Dude's WET ride on Dudley Do-Right
• The Mummy Coaster
• Grizzly Dude's futuristic cell phone ring
• Grizzly Dude staring into the sun
• Summit Plummet

  

Paintin' the Weekend Away

We spent this past weekend painting our master bedroom and bathroom. A huge thank you to Erin, Chris, Wendy, Jaclyn and Sarah for all their help. Without it, there is no way we would have completed this big task. Thank you!

We also had our first dinner party on Friday night, as we prepared a meal for the work force. On the menu prepared by Chef Joey-Son, we had Cornell Chicken, Fingerling Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash and a Field Greens Salad. We were joined by the Steeds, Wendy, Taylor, Kristin, Olivia and Jaclyn. It turned out to be a success and everyone decided that Chef Joey-Son would be able to cook again.

Watch this space as we will post pictures of the completed project. We just have a few minor touch ups in the bathroom.

California Dreamin'

We spent the week of Sept 23rd in sunny California, visiting both Los Angeles and San Diego.

Our California vacation started in Los Angeles where we spent the first night at the Luxe Sunset. Monday morning brought a trip on the Pacific Coast Highway with stops in Santa Monica and Malibu.  After a quick business meeting, we headed down the 5 to San Diego where we spent Monday evening with our friend Melissa and her husband, Brandon, and baby Liam.  It was great to see them and Melissa cooked us a tasty meal.

We arrived at our La Jolla hotel, La Valencia, Monday night.  It is a great ocean-side property with beautiful spanish architecture.  My friends at Preferred Hotel Group set us up with a great room.  It was absolutely gorgeous.

Tuesday was an animal filled day.  In the morning, we walked down to the Children's Pool which is inhabited by seals.  Cammie loved them and we spent close to an hour just watching them lay around and play in the water.  We then met Melissa and baby Liam at the San Diego Zoo.  

  

Good-bye Five Cedars, Hello Shining Rock

This post is 10 days late - life has been crazy so you will have to excuse my tardiness.

On Friday, August 31st, Cammie and I did some real estate swapping - selling our old house on Five Cedars and purchasing our new house on Shining Rock Court. An exciting day for both of us - including Jersey and Tillman.

Five Cedars will be missed as we had many great memories. It was a great starter home, but after 4.5 years it was time for something new.

Our new house is one that Cammie has loved since she first laid eyes on it. It has great curb appeal, a big yard, an ideal floor plan, and is the perfect place to start the next chapter in our lives. We couldn't be happier. Located in Ballantyne, we are directly across the street from Uncle Berny and Aunt Wendy (for now). We are close to all our favorite stores and restaurants - especially Qdoba. I foresee a lot of burritos being consumed.

A big thank you to all that helped with the move: Jim, Kathryn, Berny and Wendy for their help in the actual move and cleaning; Mom for her fantastic low country boil, Mike for being a great brother and spending his vacation helping us move, Becky for unpacking and dealing with Mike and I, and Uncle Larry and Barry for the laughs and free meals. The move and weekend wouldn't have been the same without you - Cammie and I truly appreciate your help and we love you.

If the move wasn't enough for one weekend, we capped it off with a trip down to Clemson on Labor Day to cheer on the Tigers as they put a whoopin' on the Seminoles. All was right in the world! It will surely be a weekend that will always be remembered.

Viva Las Vegas

For the second straight year I made the trip to Las Vegas to help my brother, Mike, with the Michael Jordan Sr Flight School. The camp is for men who think they can play basketball. As you can imagine, 90% of them can't. But I guess if you have $17.5k laying around - why not?

It was a great trip - spending time with Mike and Mom (making her first Vegas visit); seeing a couple shows - George Carlin and Danny Gans; eating countless meals at the Caribe Cafe with Mike, E, Ben, Frieder, and others; watching Jordan throw down $25k - $50k per blackjack hand; having the opportunity to meet Jordan; meeting the Packman; and everything else that went along with the weekend.

I always enjoy meeting and interacting with the college and NBA coaches. This year's staff included Dean Smith, John Thompson Jr and III, Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello, Billy Donovan, Roy Williams, Gary Williams, Lenny Wilkins, Doc Rivers, Bill Walton, Chuck Daly, Flip Saunders, Rick Pitino, PJ Carlisimo, Pat Riley - to name a few. It is great to see them in an environment like this as everyone is approachable and in good spirits.

But the best moment of the weekend and one of the coolest moments of my life was meeting Bob Knight. Coach Knight was there as a speaker - telling a number of basketball stories about Jordan and the Olympics, Coach K and the Army, Indiana Basketball, and life in general - a truly entertaining and insightful 60 minutes. But the best part of meeting him is when Mike and I, referred to by Coach Knight as "these boys", went to deliver Coach his gear for the weekend. We knocked on the door and could hear him whistling as he approached. When he opened the door, all he was wearing was a pair of red boxer shorts - CLASSIC. Not only was it surreal that we were meeting Coach Knight in a rare one on one moment, but he was only in his boxers! Mike and I couldn't stop talking about - a memory that will stay with my the rest of my life. He is a great guy and the perception of him is totally wrong. Thanks for the memories Coach Knight - I will be cheering for Texas Tech a little harder this year.

Check out the photos and video from the trip.

Joey's 28th Birthday

We spent my 28th birthday in Charleston, SC with my Mom, Ma Bell, J-Diddy, and our two beloved dogs - Jersey and Tillman. We had a great time eating fantastic food, visiting the sites of Charleston, melting in the scorching heat (115 heat index) and spending a lot of time with family. It was a great way to celebrate my birthday.

Here are some photos from the weekend.