June 2013

This month was all about baby. Adjusting to the arrival of our new family member took up the vast majority of our time. There were highs and lows as sleep patterns and colicky crying waxed and waned, but an overall sense of awe at the new change in our lives was the most prominent emotion we felt. Pictures and stories about moments with the baby are detailed in her blog: http://littlebabyhoody.blogspot.com/

A few select photos:

 

We enjoyed visits from both sets of new grandparents in the two weeks after Quinn's birth, including extremely helpful extended visits by the Grandmas (Gram and Nana) to help with adjustment. Megan's Aunt Mary also happened to be in town one weekend, so Quinn got to meet some of her extended family. We also celebrated Ryan's first Father's Day (for his human kids, at least), and Quinn practiced her sign language for his card, given her poor language skills. 

Many nights in June included tense game watches during the Stanley Cup. Luckily for the family, the Blackhawks ended up taking the Cup (!!!), making Ryan a very happy guy.

Also, Ryan completed his final graduation (ever!)- we are so proud of him!

May 2013

May was a big month in our family's life, the biggest yet in fact. This month we welcomed a new member to our little family, and our lives are forever changed. 

The month started with Megan wrapping up work to begin maternity leave and Ryan flying up to Chicago to escort his big-bellied (8 1/2 months pregnant) wife and dogs down to Houston for the summer. We got to catch up with the Contes, Winters, and Endrizzi-Kramers the day before we left (within one year these couples had gone from being 4 childless pairs to two having infants and two having babies on the way, it's quite the trend!). The road trip to Houston went well, with stops in Kansas City to see the Markeys and in Ft Worth to catch up with college friend Theresa. 

One way to tell you are staying at a Texas hotel is by the food:

We arrived in Houston on Cinco de Mayo, so our first stop was naturally for Mexican food (we proceeded to celebrate this holiday in this way for the whole month).

As we (somewhat patiently) awaited the arrival our new family member, we spent time enjoying Houston food, hanging out with Ryan's Texas Heart friends, bonding with the dogs, and cheering for the Chicago Blackhawks (who Ryan had followed all year all the way down in Texas).

As the end of the month approached, our due date came and went. We had accepted that we would likely end up being induced and then Megan's water suddenly broke on Saturday May 25th, three days after the original due date. We'll spare you most of the details of the labor, though a play by play of sorts was documented in a blog that Ryan began as we arrived at the hospital: http://littlebabyhoody.blogspot.com/

Quinn Marie Hood was born at 1:09 am on Sunday May 26th, weighing 6 lbs 10 oz and stealing her parents hearts.. 

I'll reference people to the above noted blog for more details on the first days of Quinn's life (and pretty much every day after that), but needless to say 

they were filled with lots of wonderful emotions and very little sleep. Ryan's mom arrived from Maine late in the 

day to celebrate the new arrival and provide much appreciated help throughout Quinn's first week.

The Hood family blog is now growing a little bit fuller, in the most wonderful of ways! 

April 2013

In April we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary (which involves sparkling grape juice and a delicious Italian dinner when you're pregnant).

It's hard to believe time has gone by so quickly. Flash back!

After months of studying, Ryan traveled to Florida to complete his oral boards exam, where he not only rocked his test but also got to catch up with some friends from Loyola.

The following weekend we headed to South Bend to break in the "Annex" through the Hood/Buersmeyer baby shower. We felt so lucky to have so many family members present, traveling from KC ("Nana" Markey and aunt Laura), DC (aunt Claire), Maine (G&G Hood), Minnesota (Debbie), West Lafayette (GG&G Hood), Chicago (Julie), and of course, the locals (GG&G Buermeyer and cousin Ali). Such a fun time, topped off by a visit to campus.

As the month wrapped up, we packed for our big summer move from Chicago to Houston. According to the belly size you'll see below, it was about time!

March 2013

As Tyke and Callie learned to adjust to Megan's growing belly...

...and superfan Ryan received his graduation present (Blackhawks jersey!) a little early...

...we got to enjoy the extreme generosity of family in friends in March with 3, yes 3!, baby showers to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our little lady.

The adventures began with a baby shower held by Megan's friends from work, where we stocked up on cute personally decorated onsies!

The next weekend Ryan came to town and we enjoyed a super fun St. Patrick's Day-themed baby shower hosted by Murph and Brooke. In fact it was such a good time that we didn't even think to take any pictures! We walked away with some party goer-decorated washclothes, fun party games, adorable baby gifts, and our first visit with cutie Truman Kramer.

Over Easter weekend, Megan traveled to Kansas City to attend an amazing baby shower hosted by her mom and sister and attended by lots of wonderful Markey ladies as well as soon-to-be Gram Hood. Great games, food, and company can't be beat!

February 2013

February was our last laid back month before going into full baby-shower and baby preparation mode. We had a few fun social events, like going to brunch for Murph's birthday and having lunch with Aunt Julie when Ryan was in town. The dogs also got their first experience under anesthesia when they got their teeth cleaned (see Callie fighting the sleepiness below).

Megan traveled to Houston for the last weekend in February, which included our first visit with our OB in Houston. We also decided to stop the suspense and announce the baby's gender via Facebook.

Throughout the year, Megan was filling her time with craft projects, mostly inspired by Pinterest ideas. Feel free to check out some of the completed projects at her crafts blog.

January 2013

For the first month of 2013, we traveled separately for some great experiences. While Ryan traveled to Florida for Notre Dame's National Championship game (!!!!), Megan later headed to Puerto Rico for Train's wedding. Despite ND's rough loss, but trips were fun times. 

Other than traveling, January primarily involved continued check-ins with our little lady and a now-showing baby belly.

This month, Megan also hosted a game night with her dinner club and got to babysit Addy Conte for a day (good practice!). 

December 2012

December was pretty relaxed to start...

...but got busier with a fun Chicago dinner with Loyola friends...

...and a trip to KC for Christmas, where we got to spend time with lots of Markeys and where Tyke and Callie became Ryan's muses for our new fancy camera.

Just prior to heading to KC, we also got to celebrate some exciting news as we found out the gender of our little one in a creative way. Our OB wrote down the gender after looking at an ultrasound and we passed along the information to our waitress at Lucky's, a yummy Italian restaurant in our neighborhood. She then brought out our dessert with a (drum roll.....) pink candle!