Monday, October 20, 2008

Last trip to Owensboro!


I struggled a lot with whether or not to make the trip back to Owensboro for Courtney's baby shower this Sunday.  I am officially "full term" now, so I'm not sure I should be driving alone in a car for two hours at this point or not.  
But, I decided to do it and I'm glad I did.  Yes, I'm already back in Louisville safe and sound with no signs of labor, so don't worry.
My mom said if anything happens, "I can get you back to Louisville in two hours... no problem!"  All I could think about when she said that was this story I did a few weeks ago about a grandmother delivering her grandson in a car because she couldn't get her daughter to the hospital in time!!  
I'm sure my mom could do it, but there's just something about being in a hospital with the doctor and all.........
Anyway, Courtney's shower was wonderful and I'm glad I made it since I was one of the hostesses!  She seemed to enjoy it and Addison got lots of fun gifts.
It was the last trip I'll make to Owensboro before Riess arrives!  So we had to get one last "belly" picture with all three of us girls who are expecting...

Me, Courtney and Brooke are all expecting little girls by the end of the year!  I'm due in 18 days, believe it or not!!  Brooke is due a week after me.  Courtney is due Dec.18.  I can't wait to get our little girls together for the holidays!  How fun!
I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we might hear something exciting then!  I'll keep you posted.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I love watermelon!

Okay, so remember that time I posted the image from thenestbaby.com -- that my baby was the size of a papaya?  Well, check out the fruit she is this week: a watermelon.  And I can tell you, it sure feels like I am carrying around a watermelon! And if you look at the picture of me below, it looks like I have a watermelon under my skin too!  (or maybe something even bigger?!)
Just wanted to share....


Tuesday, October 14, 2008

She's almost here!

We spent this weekend getting ready for Riess!  EVERYONE has been asking about the nursery and it is certainly getting there.  We worked on it all weekend and I worked on it on both my days off this week.  It is no small task, and there is still a lot to do!  

           
Chris worked hard on putting our infant swing together.  Riess will LOVE it! What a great daddy.

She continues to swing around in my belly!  Here's my latest belly picture.


           
So.... TADA!  Here's the nursery!  I tried to get pics from every angle.


                

          
And, like I said, Guinness thinks this is HIS room.  He loves the comfy rug and can consistently be found lounging in there when I'm not even in there.  I'm sure he's thinking, "finally!  my own room!"  I just hope he's a big brother who likes to share!

                        

We're still waiting on our window treatments to come in and a few odds and ends here and there, but I absolutely LOVE it!  I hope Riess does too!  

By the way, my doctor's appointment yesterday went really well.  I met with the nurse practitioner (Dr. Buck was delivering a baby, he's not out of town ... I made sure to ask!)  She said I am still not dilated, but very "thinned out."  She said Riess' head is right there, ready to go.  And she said it looks like since I'm so thinned out, when I do start dilating, it should go fairly quickly.  So that's good news.  

By the way, she estimates Riess is already at the 7 pound mark... and expects her to be at least 8 pounds by the time I deliver!!!!  BIG GIRL on the way!  

I'll keep you posted!



Saturday, October 11, 2008

Hanging in there!

Just a few short weeks to go before we meet Riess. She is doing just fine and has been very active lately. I'm counting on her not showing up until her due date, since I still don't have her nursery finished! Don't worry, though, it is getting there! Chris and I will be putting some of the finishing touches on it today.
I've been washing all of her bedding, clothes and socks this week. I have found I LOVE the smell of Dreft! It smells just like a sweet baby. I think I may start using it for some of my own laundry! But folding her tiny clothes and socks make me super excited to see her in them. She already has quite a wardrobe, thanks to all of her loving friends and family (and a few things from mom.... okay, it's hard to resist!)
I am now seeing the doctor once a week, so each Monday I will be in the doctor's office for an update. He says he should be able to give me a "good idea" if I should be on "standby" that week or not. This is good... especially for Chris, who I'm still worried will be stuck in an airport in Green Bay when our precious little one arrives.
As soon as I know, I will let you all know. And those nursery pictures are coming soon! By the way, the rug in the room is super comfy and Guinness has decided it is there solely for his sleeping pleasure. He loves it and I've found him sleeping in there on several occasions without anyone else in the room. We'll see how that goes over when there is a screaming baby sharing "his" room...
Soon enough!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

36 weeks: ready for her close-up!

 And so here's a bonus post!  Our picture of baby Riess isn't as good this time as last, because she is pretty squished up in there.  Her face was squished into the placenta, so it was hard for them to get a good look at her face, but here's one of the better pictures.  
I like it because she's waving to us all out here!  Yes, that's her hand waving right by her face!



She also stuck her tongue out at us during the ultrasound!  The technician was cracking up because she said she had never seen a baby do that!  I guess she already has a bit of an attitude.  Watch out, mom and dad!  
I still think she looks just like Chris --  We'll see soon enough!

ONE MONTH TO GO!


Well, I had no idea I had so many fans of my blog until I got a little lazy with my writing!  I have heard from lots of you about getting back on the ball and writing.  I'll admit, I haven't had much time to write lately, so here's a BIG update.

So first up, here's the latest belly picture.  And this was about a month ago!

We are exactly one month away from my due date now.  Hard to believe! 
Yesterday, Chris and I went to my 36-week checkup.  That's where we had another ultrasound and an exam.  We found out that "little" Jane Riess can now go by "big" Jane Riess... she is already weighing in at 6 pounds and 8 ounces!!  No doubt, she will be a big, healthy girl!

We also found out I am not yet dilated, which is good.  And it looks like I'm right on target to deliver fairly close to my due date (as of now.  Of course, that could change!)  

A good thing she's not coming too soon, because the second thing everyone wants to know about is the NURSERY.

No, I'm not finished with it.  And yes, I'm working on it!

Here are pictures I took of the "before:"
See, this was our bedroom.  We had to move our things out of there, and move to the bedroom next door.  Now, trust me... this isn't what it looks like today.  It's really shaping up now, but I'm going to wait to post those pictures when it is finally finished.  So, stay tuned!!!!  

Chris painted the room the weekend before last and this weekend, we put together all of the furniture.  So, it's getting there!  It looks great. 

And that brings me to a big thank you... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU... to all of you who were able to come to my baby showers.  I would certainly not have nearly enough cute, cuddly, and practical things to put in that nursery if it weren't for you all.  For those of you who sent gifts but weren't able to make it, we missed you and I so appreciate you thinking of us.  I had three wonderful showers ... and came home with more than I ever imagined for Miss Riess.  She is a lucky girl, as am I, to have friends and family like you all.  

 Keep posting comments.  I love reading them.  And I promise I'll be posting more soon!  This is all just leading up to the main attraction... she'll be here in about 30 days!