Let the games begin....

(FORWARD: Idea completely stolen from Kara Tait!)

Well I am 21 days from my due date so it is time to play...(cue cheezy game show music)

GUESS CAELAN'S WEIGHT!



Place your guesses now and the winner will receive a prize!

GOOD LUCK!!!

A Very Merry Christmas

Despite being in Massachusetts for 3 years now, this is the first Christmas we have spent here and not gone home to Michigan. We had a great day and Amelia had so much fun opening her presents...the only thing missing was our families.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well!

Much love
The Squires


http://picasaweb.google.com/nicksquires

Winter Wonderland

Yay for snow! The past few days have brought an amazing amount of snow for us here and Amelia has loved every bit of it! Here are a few samples of her joys in the snow (we have had a hard time getting her to come in!) For more, make sure you check out our website:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nicksquires



Rosy cheeks and ready to play!



Laying in the snow...



Daddy - Daughter Snow Angels...

Hospitals already?!?!

So although I am still only 34 weeks, I had my first trip to the hospital today. I went in for my normal appointment and while waiting my heart started racing and my blood pressure sky rocketed (it has been doing this on and off for about a week now). They quickly shipped me off to the hospital where I sat hooked up to the non-stress machine (so much fun) and had to have an EKG.

Turns out that I might have what is called Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) and that I most likely have had it my whole life, but for whatever reason Caelan is causing it to really act up. Basically SVT is when for whatever reason I have increased blood vessels to my heart which leads to increased nerve impulses resulting in a racing heart. I have always had a racing heart (seriously I remember it started racing when I was like 5 years old) and I have just dealt with it because it doesn't happen that often. However, Caelan is causing it to happen on a daily basis now and well it sucks. I get dizzy, light headed and headaches...not to mention out of breath.

So anyways, I have to take the rest of the week off of work and go see a cardiologist so that they can hook me up to a halter monitor (a mobile EKG that I have to wear for 24 hours). The good news is that it isn't life threatening and hopefully after I have Caelan will go back to only happening intermittently.

In other news, Caelan is healthy and doing well. Unfortunately for me and my pelvis, they are estimating that he is now about 6lbs and I have 6 more weeks to go...argh!!!

I will keep you posted on how my appointments go!

Latest update on Caelan!

I had an ultrasound and appointment today to check in on how Caelan is doing. For those that don't know, I am consistently measuring large for my date which could be a number of things. The ultrasound did show that I am on the higher end of normal for amniotic fluid, but that I am still in normal range (whew!) so no worries there. And, to no surprise, Caelan is turning out to be one big kid! He is measuring at a size that most would expect for 32 weeks (I am only just now 30 weeks) and his current estimated weight is 4lbs 4oz (the average is about 3lbs at this stage) so he is falling in the 81st percentile already! Looks like he is well on his way to being a 10lb baby! Anyways, see below for the latest pics of our "little" guy!










Closing his eyes and waving goodbye! :)

Halloween!

Halloween fun!







For the rest of the pics, check out our site!
http://picasaweb.google.com/nicksquires

Pumpkin (or Punkin) Carving!

Amelia helped carve out pumpkins this evening and we all had a lot of fun! At first she didn't want to touch any of the pumpkin guts, claiming it was "Dirty!" But, she finally gave into her curiosity and had a blast!








"SQUISHY PUNKIN!!!"


Two down...


Amelia stomping her feet singing "Spooky Punkin Patch!"


All finished...four "spooky" Halloween pumpkins!

Let's hope the neighbor kids don't smash them before Halloween!!!

Why I don't like Obama....

As most of you may, or may not know, I have always leaned a bit to the left when it comes to politics. In fact, I have been called a conservative liberal. However, I just can't bring myself to vote for a man who's followers, in my opinion, border on complete idol worship. I know some of you are "All for Change" but come on! Step back and realize just how fanatical the Obama followers, I mean "supporters", have gotten. Case in point, this photo was taken at a street fair in San Francisco...





If you don't find this disturbing, I feel sorry for you.

Autumn Fun!

Making caramel apples!!



Such a big helper!



First pony ride!





Pumpkin!



Walking to the pumpkin patch...

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY NICK!!!

Happy Birthday to a fantastic husband, loving father and most importantly my very best friend. I love you so very very much and look forward to sharing the next milestone with you!

Love always
Shaina

Like Mother Like Daughter

So in taking this statement to its most literal translation...Amelia broke her wrist yesterday. (For those of you that don't know, I have broken my arm (4 times...twice on each), my ankle, and numerous fingers and toes). She was at the table and was trying to get down. She misjudged how close she was to the edge of the chair and fell off.

After x-rays, lots of crying and 3 hours at the ER...it turns out she fractured both her radius and ulna (the two bones in the forearm). It is called a buckle fracture which is good because it should heal quickly.

She is in a temporary cast right now and we have to go on Tuesday or Wednesday to get her real cast put on. She will have to wear it for 4 weeks.

So that's the news...hopefully she can stop at one break and not have to try and surpass my record!

It's a BOY!!!

We are happy to announce that we are expecting a BOY! The ultrasound was yesterday and it was so exciting to hear (and see) that there is going to be a baby boy rounding out our family! Check out the pics!









Right after she printed this pic he started sucking his thumb!

Three weeks of fun....

We just got back from our three week vacation to Michigan and it was GREAT seeing everyone and being able to hang out!! It really makes you realize just how much you miss out on when you are not around family.

We have tons and tons of pictures so please check out our picture site!

http://picasaweb.google.com/nicksquires

In other news, we hopefully find out what we are having on Aug 29th...so keep your fingers crossed! I am officially 19 weeks today...almost half way there!

Ok I'm Pregnant...but still...

So I saw this video clip first as a snippet on the news and didn't pay much mind. I then went ahead and viewed the whole thing on YouTube and the thing made me freaking cry.

I blame the hormones and the lame ass Whitney Houston song they have playing...stupid hormones.

Baby Squires at 12 weeks

This was my 12 week ultrasound...the technician said the camera was overexposed for whatever reason, so it isn't as clear as we would like but you can still make out the profile pretty well :)


I am entering my 15th week and starting to feel much better...although still exhausted! It is crazy just how much more tired I am this time around and the heat of summer definitely doesn't help.

My next ultrasound is Aug 29 and that's when we will hopefully know if this little babe is a boy or a girl!!

Like I said....

So true to my word...I suck at blogging. I envy those of you that are vigil at updating on your lives, myself on the other hand, not so much.

To try and make-up for my slacking here is a quick synopsis of life at the Squires':

We moved into our new place with the much appreciated help of Stephen and Jason Tait. It is finally starting to feel like a "home" and probably will even more once we finish painting the bathroom, which we started almost 2 weeks ago.

I finished school on the 23rd but promptly had to start (and then finish the following Friday) a grad class at Harvard Medical for AP Biology. By the way, Harvard Medical School...not what I thought. I was not very impressed...although they did have a small medical museum and I did get to see Phineas Gage's skull -- very cool.

My Grandpa Hewitt passed away on that Friday as well (the 27th) and it was really hard not being there. It was a peaceful passing and I know that he is in a much better place now. He requested that he be cremated and that there is not to be a funeral. So instead my family is waiting until we get home at the end of July to hold a "memorial celebration" (which in my Grandpa's terms means lots of drinking and good times) and then we are to spread his ashes over Lake Michigan. It should be very nice.

Other than that, I am struggling through the first trimester once again. Stupid nausea and vomiting! I can almost set a clock to my daily puking schedule. Awesome. My next appointment is this coming Tuesday and that also marks week 12..so I am PRAYING that it also will mark the end of all this nastiness and I can start feeling like a normal happy pregnant person. Expect some ultrasound pics...

Well there ya go...our life over the last 2 weeks or so. Sorry for no pics...I have yet to find the fire wire to download from the camera and also need to find our scanner. Ah the joys of moving...

Hope everyone is well...enjoy the 4th!

Watch out world...

That's right...there is another Squires on its way!

I am about 8 weeks and doing pretty good. The estimated date of the next giant is January 20th!

Tasty Tripping

So I came across this article today and completely want to have one of these "trippy" parties! Anyone else interested?!?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html?no_interstitial

Amelia's Favorite Videos

These are Amelia's 3 favorite videos. Whenever we play them she gets super excited, starts clapping, and dances around the living room. It is hilarious! ENJOY!

Prayers

My grandpa was admitted to the hospital a few days ago due to a collapsed lung. He worsened yesterday and was transported to Muskegon Hospital for surgery. The surgeons found an inoperable tumor that is terminal. They have not specified how much longer my grandpa has, but it is not looking good. He has lost 25lbs in the last 3 weeks alone and was extremely weak before the surgery.

Please pray for my grandpa and my family.

A Perfect Mother's Day

So I wanted to congratulate and thank Nick for a perfect Mother's Day. I was able to sleep in, he cooked breakfast, cleaned the house, made a fantastic dinner of salmon and grilled asparagus, and took us all to the 100th Annual Lilac Festival. It was beautiful and so great to be able to be together and enjoy a gorgeous spring day.


A walk in the park...


Beautiful lilacs...



Thinking about smelling the flowers....



Smells so pretty!


Daddy and baby...so cute!

Foster's Night Out

So Foster went out for a night of boozing and general debauchery with his buddies. Unfortunately he woke up like this....

As you can tell he is really ashamed...

No but seriously, Nick tried his hand at grooming. This much hair should NOT be coming off of one dog!!!

Gambling and a brush with fame...

So Vegas was amazing and we had a ton of fun (didn't win a damn thing...but no matter!)

On the way home Sunday, we flew into DC and had an encounter of the celebrity kind. Nick and I were walking to the bathroom when I almost ran into this girl walking the opposite direction. I was about to give the "glare" when I realized that the girl that I almost collided with was none other than Jennifer Garner. I quickly pointed her out to Nick and then followed her to see if the infamous hubby was at her side. Sure enough, he was and I promptly sat down across from them and continued to ogle. Unfortunately, my conscience got in the way of bothering them for a pic (despite the other celeb stalkers doing their fair share) so the best we can do is a quick camera pic that Nick took while they weren't looking.

Viva Las "Bad Parents"?!?

WARNING: The following is not a post for those that do not like to read about other people's annoyances. Proceed at your own risk.


Nick and I are leaving for a week in Vegas tomorrow, sans Amelia. It should be lovely and grand and a great opportunity for Nick and I to let loose, have fun, and enjoy one anothers company -- as adults.

However, I am astounded at the number of people who are completely shocked and dumbfounded that we would even consider, let alone actually go through with, a trip without Amelia. I truly don't see the problem in taking a vacation without Amelia, especially when it affords Nick and I the time to reconnect and oh I don't know, have some alone time. It is not like we have parents and family here in Boston that can take Amelia for a night or two...Nick and I have not had any non-parent time for nearly 14 months. Why is one week in Vegas such a terrible thing?

Perhaps I am just cranky and in desperate need of said vacation, but I don't think that taking that needed time with my husband and without my daughter is the worst thing in the world. What do you think?

Thanks for listening to my rant...I'm done now.

Rock you like a hurricane....

Yesterday was Teachers Go Wild day at BHS...and in true wild spirit some of us in the science department brought back the hotness of the 80's.

Yes. These are the people shaping our future.

Check out Amelia dancing to Bluegrass (which oddly seems to be her favorite type of music right now! haha)

Hugs and kisses!!!

**UPDATE: So the movie doesn't seem to work for some reason...click on the Our Pics link and view it on our Picasa! Thanks!!!

Plymouth county Rookie Teacher of the Year goes to...

Shaina Squires!!!

The award goes to an innovative rookie teacher (1-5 years experience) that has affected the most change in their school.

I'm so proud of Shaina! I had a hunch she was a good teacher, now it's official.

We went to the Plymouth county EA awards banquet last night. There were around 500 teachers/spouses from Plymouth county schools. Mostly, they were honoring teachers that had reached 30, 35 or 40 years of service. That's a long time. I was struck by how these teachers had aged. Some appeared to be at least eighty years old, others must have started teaching when they were 5. Go figure.

We sat at a table with teachers /administration from Brockton (City of Champions). When it came time for Shaina's award we cheered loudly and she got a standing ovation. I hope she savored the moment, she due for her next award in 28 years...

After the banquet we picked Amelia up from Nicole's house. Nicole's daughters had fun playing with her, but I guess Amelia was really quiet the whole time. When she saw us she started talking... and didn't stop talking the whole ride home and then well past her bedtime. She's funny.

-nick

Making Connections

So we want to make sure that we have all of our "peeps" listed in our links...so if you have not been included (or know of someone who might have been accidentally overlooked) please let us know!

In other news, the Squires Fam is plugging along. There are only 4 more days until Spring Break and 6 more days until Nick and I are sitting by a pool in Vegas. Gotta love the life of a teacher...hehe!

Amelia's bad day

Amelia + running + cement =