Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family who follow our blog! This year was a great Christmas and also a little significant. This will be our last year without children in our family. We are really looking forward to beginning the next chapter in our lives. After May 20th our lives will be officially dependent on the life of our little human being! How amazing the journey is going to be!

We started off the Christmas season by first celebrating a week early with my Dad and Barbie. We went to dinner and later over to their house for presents and dessert. The boys were quite happy with their gifts as well as the girls...perfume!

The following week one of my best friends and I made Christmas cookies together. I have to agree with her...I don't care if I see another Christmas cookie for a long time! We did have a great time though. Let me just say, next year I will not attempt the hardest fudge recipe ever. I think it is a wise idea to try simple fudge. I almost had to replace her pot I used. Thank god she was able to get the solid, science experiment out!

Christmas Eve is always one of my favorites and we always spend it with Matt's family. It is a full house of laughter and loudness. This year I was introduced to the families competitive side. I think it may have been Eric or Danny's idea to play SPOONS! Either way, I thought without a doubt, I would have a chance. Yeah right! Aunt Cathy almost threw me down in the first round. My hand is still bruised...just kidding...shhh! I decided for the safety of my baby, I better not play since these Mahoney's take their game very serious. I wanted to post some pictures just so you could see what I witnessed. You will see Colleen in one (or her rump anyway) and yes she is on top of Roger (not her husband) fighting for a spoon. You will also see Cathy pouting after she lost. Let's just say the game ended with spilled red wine!

Boy/Girl Pizza Party

Someone had told us about having one of these parties when we found out the sex of the baby. So Matt and I thought it sounded like a great idea. The only caviat was when we put both of our quickly expanding families together, we have about 16 of us! Since our house or my sanity is not quite equipped for that many people at one time, we decided pizza was the best solution.

We had a great time sharing our news and also seeing what everyone's predictions were. I have to say, my Dad and Tony were both entirely wrong! Sorry Tony that you spent money on a pink shirt, but it is actually a nice color on you! Ami, Sarah, Chad, Matt S., and Jordan won! It was fun sharing the evening with our family and talking about how our boys will all grow up very close together. Levi (Sarah's son) will be 10 months older than ours and Mason (if he ever makes an appearance) will be 5 months older. Not to mention...Ally, Ashley, and Kristy who are also all having boys due in February. We are going to have one wild group of boys running around.

Best part of the night was the gift my Mom bought for our little guy. His first pair of Justin cowboy boots...ahh, a little COWBOY!! We can hardly wait!!

It's a BOY!

Matt and I got the greatest early Christmas present ever...you guessed it...It's a BOY! We went to the doctor three days before Christmas and received the news. Without a doubt, and spotted in seconds, he is 100% BOY! The best part of the appointment was sharing it with very special friends and family. Both Grandma's were in the room, as well as my Aunt Sandie and Esther Moreno. Needless to say, there was a lot of screaming! One thing is for sure, the baby was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of estrogen circulating around him. Thank goodness he had his Daddy to share some testosterone with!

Next came the ultimate test...asking Carol to not share the sex until 2 hours after the appointment. Matt and I planned to meet our entire family for pizza and we wanted it to be a surprise! I have to say...Carol did a great job, but I think that may have had something to do with the fact that she didn't have her cell phone with her!

Next on our plate...NAMES! Any suggestions out there? We are having a hard time, but have narrowed it down to two that we like. Also, who thinks the 3D picture looks like me? So far, Carol and Ally say it does! Hmmmmm..............

Ugly Sweater Party!

Matt is probably going to kill me for posting this picture, but guess what? What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right? So...last night we went to our first ugly sweater party. Just let me tell you, it was ugly. We had a great time though and were able to catch up with friends that we don't get to see very often. The party was filled with holiday cheer, laughter, and I can't forget to mention yummy desserts. Thanks Kevin and Maggie for having us over!

4 Baby Showers + 4 weeks = 1 Broke Girl!

November 6th we got started off with Ami's shower, followed one week later by Ally's, soon after Kristy's, and today, FINISHED with Ashley's shower. They were all great showers with great food and company. But, let me just say, if I don't go to another shower for a couple months I will be just fine. I am so blessed to have great friends and a beautiful sister. It is so much fun watching them open all their gifts, but just knowing that the best gift to come is what god has created inside of them. I know they will all be great parents. If their kids are anything like their parents, we are going to have an amazing generation of little one's.

(In the picture: Ally 32 weeks, Ashley 30 weeks, Kristy 30 weeks, Me 17 weeks.) Just missing Ami 37 weeks, but she had to get home to watch the Bears lose---Sorry sister!

16 Weeks Vs. 36 Weeks

Well, last week I decided I better start taking pictures of my growing stomach. I still haven't decided if that is a good idea yet or not!?!? One day I will have the pictures to look back at and show our little one what mommy looked like when he/she was growing inside of her. Also, if my stomach never looks this flat again I guess it will be a good reminder of what it USED to look like.

Last Wednesday we went to see the doctor hoping to find out the sex, but after 30 minutes of searching for any defining characteristics, the answer was "sorry...next time." Needless to say, Matt was a bit bummed. He has really been looking forward to finding out. I on the other hand was still okay with not knowing. But since Wednesday, I am also very eager to know. So that goes without saying, the rest of you all have to wait two more weeks with us until our next appointment on the 22nd.

Most of you know who the other pregnant girl in the picture is, you're right, it is my sister. She is now considered full term, which means Mason could make his appearance any day now. Every time the phone rings at night or in the early morning I think it is going to be her, but so far no luck. Instead of dreaming about my own baby, I am dreaming about Mason and his delivery. I am looking forward to having the first few weeks of his life off so I can really get to know him!

I can't wait for you guys! Ami and Tony you are going to be great!

15 Weeks and counting!

Last Friday, Matt and I headed out of town to visit our friends Nick, Clare, and Elle in San Francisco. On our way out, we stopped in San Luis for our first perinatologist appointment. We were hoping to find out the sex of the baby, but unfortunately, our little one had its legs all tucked up. We got a wonderful picture of the babies hand (five fingers...yay!) and were also reassured by the doctor that everything looked great.

So off in the car we headed North. We had to make a few pit stops along the way...of course lunch, followed by some shopping at the Gilroy outlets. When we finally arrived at Nick and Clare's we quickly headed out the door to meet up with Nick at the Golden State Warriors game. Friday was followed by shopping, eating, more eating, and more eating. Sunday we headed to Candlestick Park to meet up with Eric and watch the 49ers play. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was still a great time.

Thank you Nick and Clare for all of the great tickets and entertainment. We can't wait to come back. I almost forgot to mention the chicken tetrazzini...who could forget! Yummy!

Following our already busy weekend away we hit the road early Monday morning and drove to Tahoe. I had never been there before and I definitely can't wait to go back. We met Matt's family there and spent two days hanging out with them and staying warm. Tahoe probably received at least 8 feet of snow while we were there, so we pretty much stayed inside most of the time.

Finally, we made our way home on Wednesday...9 hours in the car makes for a really long day. But we were home safe for Thanksgiving and had a very relaxing day at my mom's house. The only thing missing was...Big Daddy! We missed you Mike.

Baby Mahoney 12 weeks

This is our first 3D ultrasound. "It" really looks like an alien! We were so happy to see that it finally has limbs and not stubs. At our 12 week appointment we actually had two ultrasounds. During the first one, the baby was moving its hands up and down. We both said it is going to be like both of its grandmas...talks with its hands! During the second ultrasound, the baby must have had hiccups because it was jumping up and down. Matt was so surprised because he thought they just slept in there for 10 months. You would think with a jumping bean inside of you, you would feel something, right? Anyway, we go to see the perinatologist this Friday and I will be 14 weeks at that point. We are hoping we will find out then the sex of our baby. Any bets out there? At week 13 the only mentionable symptoms are: bloody noses, some interesting food cravings (mostly diner food), still no ambition to cook, ACNE (my favorite), and less fatigue. We will keep you posted after our 14 week appointment.

Ami's Shower!

Last Saturday was my sister's shower. We had such a great time and good company. It was nice to see old friends and spend the day with them. Ami got so many gifts, it was truly amazing. The weather couldn't have been more cooperative. We filed into my mom's house like sardines and prayed the rain didn't come until after the shower was over. Well, we nailed it...as soon the last gift was brought inside to Ami, the rain began.

After several weeks of planning, the day finally came to an end. We pulled it together after everyone was gone and began the clean-up process. Let's just say being 12 weeks pregnant at the time, I was thoroughly exhausted for the next two days. Thank you everyone for all of your hard work, time, and gifts.

We can hardly wait for the next 8 weeks to pass so we can meet the lil' man...Mason!

Baby Mahoney-9 weeks

It's Official!

Matt and I are expecting our first child! We can hardly wait to find out the gender. Hopefully, by the beginning of December we will know. I will be 12 weeks this Thursday and we go for our second appointment on Wednesday. Thankfully, for both Matt and I, I managed to get through the first 11 weeks without any morning sickness! I guess I am one lucky girl. Here is what I have experienced in the last 11 weeks:

-Horrible back pain the last 2 weeks. I am hoping it is not my sciatic nerve!
-Going to the restroom sometimes 3 times in the middle of the night.
-Growing pains...literally, I can feel things growing.
-And a few other non-mentionables!!!

We officially knew our lives changed last Friday when we went to dinner at Coco's and had a 20 minute wait. Shortly after, we found ourselves in a cozy booth at IHOP. I was quite content with my grilled cheese, onion rings, and pickle. I also failed to mention I ate half of Matt's pancakes! Oops! I swear I didn't finish everything on my plate, but it sure did taste great. Sounds like I better slow down and begin an exercise regimen.

The other fantastic thing about this pregnancy is I get to experience it with my sister (31 weeks), Ally (26 weeks), and Ashley (24 weeks). It has been great talking to them and exchanging aches, pains, and laughs. I can hardly wait for this Saturday when we will all be together for Ami's shower! Pictures soon to follow! Stay up to date on our new blog!

-Ashley and Matt-