Happy Birth Day, Max!

Sorry for the blogging hiatus, folks, but things have been busy around our house - we're adjusting to life with our newest family member, Maxwell James (AKA Max).

He joined the party on Monday, June 13th at 7:56am, 

weighing in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.

This little guy has turned our world upside-down, for sure, 

and we are loving every sleep-deprived minute!

Many thanks to everyone who has shared encouraging words over the past few days. 

We are beyond blessed!

40 Weeks

I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting a post introducing our new little one - but alas! 

He/ she is still in my tummy, as you can see:

40 Weeks

This has been quite a crazy week, to say the least. I went for my routine check-up on Tuesday only to discover that Baby Rich has turned breech yet again! (Let's hope this is not an early indicator of what's to come in the teen years.) My doctor did a sonogram to confirm that yes-indeedy, our little one is head up and recommended that we schedule a c-section soon. The minutes that followed seem like a blur as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that yes, this baby had to be delivered by c-section and my visions of natural childbirth were pretty much out the window. I walked out of her office in a daze, clutching the pre-op instructions for the c-section I never thought I'd have.

Even after daily trips to the chiropractor and frequent inversions, Baby Rich has stayed put. Many tearful conversations and hours of internet research later, I am more accepting of the way this child has to enter the world. And I am already learning that parenting is a journey in letting go - of expectations, of plans, of pride, and of this precious life that God is so generously sharing with us. (I have a feeling there are many more lessons just waiting to be uncovered!)

So Clay and I will be heading to the hospital tomorrow morning for my scheduled c-section - and to finally meet our little gymnast!

You Know You're 39 Weeks Pregnant When...

That TV show you used to hate suddenly becomes interesting after not being able to reach the remote.

Somehow you suddenly have to pee immediately after peeing.  How is this possible???

Any comfortable place you sit becomes the perfect spot for a nap.

Friends end conversations with you by saying, "The next time I see you, you'll have a baby!"

You have to mentally prepare yourself for the chore that is rolling over in bed.

You used to shave your legs for your husband; now the only time that happens is prior to an OB appointment.

You've had your hospital bag packed and sitting by your front door for the past several weeks.  

There is literally nothing in your house that you haven't cleaned or organized.

You spend a lot of time worrying about a painful birth, but mostly about not being able to eat while in labor.

It takes considerable effort to get dressed in the morning. Who knew putting on underwear could be a workout?!

Flip flops have become your footwear of choice because nothing else will accommodate your marshmallow feet.

Every time you call your husband, the first thing he asks is, "Are you in labor?"

You seriously wonder if your belly can get any bigger:

You aren't sure if you can wait any longer to meet your sweet little baby!!! :)

Rich Craft: Nursery Mobile Edition

So the other day when I was in the waiting room at my doctor's office,

I picked up the June issue of Parents magazine to help pass the time.

In it, I found instructions for this adorable mobile:

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I knew right then and there this would be the perfect addition to Baby Rich's nursery!

After rummaging through my scrapbook paper stash and a quick trip to Michael's,
I was ready to get started.

My sister-in-law was gracious enough to let me use her Cricut to cut out 2" circles with little holes - over 200 of them! Then I arranged them into color groupings (similar to the picture above) and recruited my husband to help me connect them together with 7mm jump rings in nine-circle sections. Let's face it - he is much handier with needlenose pliers than I!

I ended up using 10" and 8" embroidery hoops for my mobile, which meant I needed a few more strands of circles than the instructions called for - about 22 in total. Armed with my trusty glue gun, I attached the top circle to the embroidery hoops, spacing them out about 1/2" apart.

Next I took some fishing line and attached it to three different places on each of the hoops. Thanks to some help from dear husband Clay, we figured out how to hang them above the changing table so that the smaller hoop was about 6 inches lower than the larger one.

The result?

An adorable handmade mobile that only cost me about $10 bucks!

Hopefully this will help keep Baby Rich occupied and less squirmy while I change his or her diapers. ;D

More nursery crafts to come!

It's All Coming Together

Baby Rich's room is starting to look more like a nursery and less like a mish-mash.

The play yard is set up in our room and ready for a new little tenant.

The high chair has taken up its residence at the kitchen table,

just waiting for lots of little food particles to collect in its seat. :)

Our bags are packed for the hospital and ready to go -
that is, if Clay can stay out of the snacks until then!

And the car seat is installed properly in the Venza (yes, I had it inspected!)

and ready to transport our little one home from the hospital.

All of our preparations for this little one are coming together.
Won't be long before he/ she gets here!

38 Weeks

Here's a pic at 38 weeks:

Where has the time gone?! It seems just like yesterday

we were waiting for the results of that fateful pregnancy test... :)

I went to the doctor for a checkup on Tuesday and received the good news that Baby Rich has turned head down - HOORAY! Currently I am dilated 1cm (same as the last time she checked) and 50% effaced. Everything else is looking good, so we'll see what happens between now and next Tuesday. :)

Weekly Wows!

Wednesday was my last day at The Women's Center, and my coworkers hosted a lovely shower/ going away breakfast for me. It was so nice of them to show up early to say a few words of encouragement and share a few gifts. While I have been so blessed to work there for the past three and a half years, I am definitely excited to start my new job as a mommy!

Thursday morning my sister-in-law Tara and I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at La Madeleine, then she treated me to a pedicure so my tootsies are delivery room-ready. :) I cannot say enough wonderful things about Tara; she has been so helpful throughout my entire pregnancy, as I know she has been to many of her other friends - answering questions, calming fears, lending books, sharing maternity clothes, and recommending resources. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her! I am so blessed to have such a thoughtful sister-in-law and friend. :)

We also got to meet our pediatrician-to-be on Thursday, and he was so nice! It made me feel so much better to meet the person who will be answering many of my questions in the coming years and learn a little more about him - like that he's been practicing pediatrics longer than I've been alive!

Our friends the Allens had us over for a lovely dinner on Thursday night. (Thursday was a busy day!)We had such a good time catching up with them and enjoying their hospitality! They have the cutest 13 month-old, who provided lots of entertainment - and a little preview of our future. :)

Clay has been off work for the past few days, so we have gotten to spend lots of quality time together (mostly assembling baby gadgets - ha!). It has been strange to see each other so much of the time - but I am definitely not complaining. :)

More "wows" on the horizon: tomorrow is my nephew's first birthday party, and we'll get to spend some time with Clay's family that will be in town for the Memorial Day holiday.

What's wow-ing you this week? ;D

Turn, Baby, Turn

Last Friday we went for our 36-week sonogram,

where we got a glimpse of our little one's sweet face:

(Just tilt your head sideways.)

We also learned that Baby Rich is currently breech (the little stinker). This little bundle has been head down for the past few months, so the sono tech was pretty surprised to discover that our baby is now head up. I felt a lot of movement the week before our appointment, but had no idea what our little stinker was up to! Everything else, he said, indicated a healthy baby that was growing right on schedule.

I must admit that it really freaked me out to hear that Baby Rich was breech because I knew that meant automatic c-section. Of course, the most important thing is for our little bundle to be healthy - but I had hoped to be able to deliver this child without so much medical intervention!

After talking with my doctor at my appointment this afternoon, she seems to think that there is a possibility that Baby Rich could flip back into position before my due date - especially since the baby has been moving around so much and so recently. (According to my mom, I did the exact same thing before I was born!)

 So for now, we wait - and pray that this baby turns around!

Happy Anniversary!

This past Saturday Clay and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with a lovely dinner at Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana in Fort Worth. We snapped a quick pic before heading out the door:

Clay has eaten  at Lanny's several times for work functions and reallyreally wanted me to try it because he knew I would like it. And he was right! The food was very unusual - sometimes unpronouncable - but oh so delicious and definitely special occasion-worthy. We'll look forward to going back there someday when we can try their tasting menu with wine pairings!

It's crazy to believe it's been five years since that warm May evening at Erinshire Gardens...

So much has happened in the past five years - so many experiences with Clay that I wouldn't trade for the world! I can't wait to see what the next five years (and the next and the next) will bring. :)

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Here are some long-awaited belly pics...

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

 

37 Weeks

Is it really possible that I'm only three weeks from having this baby?!!!

I'm Ba-ack!

So we have finally gotten our replacement laptop (thank you, Allstate!) and I am now reconnected to the world - and the blogosphere! It seems as though everything is slowly coming back into place... only for a little baby to change it all here in a few weeks. :)

In the time that has elapsed since that fateful day almost three weeks ago when I came home to discover a kicked-in back door, we have accomplished quite a lot. For one, we have learned to survive without a TV (yes, there were a few Saturday nights where we played tic-tac-toe!). But we also got a LOT of things done on our to-do lists...

• I finished all the thank yous from my baby shower a few weeks ago
• I finally updated my pregnancy journal
• We took an all-day childbirth class at the hospital
• Clay installed the carseat in the Venza (I'll be getting it checked by a car seat inspector this week)
• We assembled then promptly tested out the jogging stroller
• Clay set up the play yard in our bedroom (so we can get used to it being there)
• I scheduled a consultation with a potential pediatrician
• Clay installed security cameras and signs to deter any potenial burglars
• I cooked a few dishes to stash in the freezer for when I don't feel like cooking
• I went shopping for nursing bras and camisoles

Today starts my last full week of work; my last day will be next Wednesday, May 25th. Although it will be nice to have a slightly more relaxed pace in the days leading up to this baby's birth, I definitely have quite a few more things still on the to-do list! Let's hope I can be just as (if not more) productive in the coming weeks. :)

Take the Orange Juice, Leave the iPad

Well, dear friends, it seems that although the craziness at work with our big race has died down (hence the infrequent posts), we have encountered another setback: our home was burglarized on Tuesday. And whadya know, they took our laptop!

So that means fewer posts on the bloggity for a while and definitely fewer pictures (little buggers took our camera too, which contained the memory card with my 33 week pic on it - sad day). Currently I am typing this post on our iPad, which they miraculously missed, but it is excruciatingly slow and painful. I think I'd rather get a root canal.

Anyhow, the hubs and I are trying to make the best of our new lives sans TV and laptop - and it is interesting, for sure! I did finish all my shower thank yous and baked dessert for small group tomorrow night, so I'm thinking perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.

More to come - hopefully sooner rather than later!

People Say the Darndest Things

Pregnancy makes you the target of countless fascinating comments. For some reason the general public believes that just because you have a watermelon belly, they are entitled to say things to you they might not otherwise. A few examples:

Upon seeing me for the first time in almost a week, one of my coworkers exclaimed, "Boy, you've just exploded since I saw you last!" Exploded - really? Let's find some new adjectives, folks; no woman wants to hear that her stomach has burst forth violently.

"Every time I see you, you're eating." I'm making a baby, people! What do you expect? (Also, just to clarify - I mostly run into this coworker in the kitchen when we're preparing our lunches.)

Clay was talking with some of the kids from School by the Pool when another volunteer, Rusty, asked if he had shared his surprise with them yet. Clay said that no, he hadn't, and wondered if anyone wanted to guess what his surprise might be. One girl piped up and asked, "Is your girlfriend pregnant?" Oh, to hear the surprises shared in their house!
And my personal favorite: when people ask what we're having (boy or girl) and I tell them that we are going to be surprised, many people will follow up by asking if we really know the sex but just aren't telling. Doesn't that sort of defeat the point???

Oh, people say the darndest things... :)

30-31-32

30 Weeks

(Sorry no official picture, but I've got this fun one with Clay's cousin Laura!)

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

It is really amazing to think that the world will get to meet Baby Rich in just 8 short weeks!

There is SO much to think about, so much to do, so many things that I just feel totally and completely unprepared for. I keep asking myself, "Am I really ready to be responsible for another human being?" Well...the short answer is usually no. But on the positive side, we have gotten quite a few things done in preparation for our little one's arrival!

After painting the nursery two weeks ago, Clay set up the furniture in the room -

and had a little fun with the leftover painting tape. :)

We are slowly starting to build a bigger wardrobe for Baby Rich.

I saw this adorable onesie and just couldn't resist! :)

I've also used some spare time to beef up our stash of burp cloths.

Can't have too many of those!

In case you can't tell, Clay and I are getting pretty darn excited to meet this little one. :D

Weekly Wows!

It seems as though I'm in a perpetual state of "wow" these days...

My mom came to visit last Thursday and we got to spend some great time together! We shopped for fabric for some custom-made crib bedding, oohed and aahed over all the cute little baby things we saw (and maybe bought a few of them) and decorated cookies. It was a wonderful time to spend together and, as always, it went by much too quickly!

Some dear friends of mine threw a lovely baby shower for me on Saturday morning.

I even had several friends who drove in from out of town for the occasion, which was such a nice treat!

They really made it a special occasion and it meant so much to me. Thanks, girls!

On Sunday night, we went to see A Chorus Line at Bass Hall.

(This makes the first of three musicals we'll be seeing this month!) Although A Chorus Line wasn't our favorite musical, Clay and I are definitely savoring these theater dates and enjoying this time together!

We are now the proud owners of an iPad2.

Unfortunately this makes me occasionally invisible. ;)

If I can ever pry it out of Clay's hands, then maybe I'll see what all this fuss is about...

We have gone green - in the nursery!

Bye bye, mustard yellow...

Hello, River Reed! (That's the color name.)

After a few touch-ups and clearing out the exisiting furniture, we'll be ready to bring in the crib! I can't wait. :)

Today I had my 30-week check up, and the doctor only had good things to report!

 I feel so lucky to have made it this far in my pregnancy without complication. Here's hoping this trend continues!

Tonight I went to see my sister sing the national anthem with the praise team from The Hills at the Rangers game. At her first Rangers game ever, my sister sang the national anthem. How cool is that?!

What's wow-ing you this week?!

29 Weeks

Does this shirt make me look pregnant?

Ha ha :)

Big news of the week: the crib and dresser has arrived!

They are still in boxes in the garage, but the nursery should be painted soon and then we'll be able to move them in and get everything set up. And I promise I'll give you a sneak peak!

Other big news: my mom is coming to visit on Thursday!

I am super-excited to spend a few days with her.

More to come soon. ;D

28 Weeks

This morning I had my glucose test at the doctor's.

I had to drink this sugary orange drink (which tasted like syrupy Fanta) and then wait an hour for them to draw my blood. Thank goodness they warned me to bring reading material (those waiting room magazines were a little outdated). If I don't hear back from the doctor's office tomorrow, I will know that I have passed the glucose test and that I do not have gestational diabetes! (Fingers crossed, everyone!)

I also did the usual check-up things and it appears as though I am right on target! The doctor measured my fundal height at 30cm, so I'm actually a little overachiever there - but everything else looked good. She said Baby Rich is head down (for now) and has a strong heartbeat at 138.

In our small group, four out of the six couples are expecting in the next five months.

(Yes, please pray for us!) The other three couples know that sweet baby girls will be joining their families. It has been interesting to hear who thinks we'll buck the trend with a baby boy and who guesses we'll add to the gaggle of girls!

 Last week at work, I was walking down a hallway that leads to our main lobby when I was met with a counselor and her client headed back for a session. The client was mid-sentence when she saw me, took one look at my belly, and exclaimed, "Congratulations on your son!" - and then proceeded to pick up right where she left off with her story. It definitely caught me off guard, but was pretty funny nonetheless! I guess we'll see if she's right in about 12 more weeks. ;D

It is absolutely crazy to think that Baby Rich will be making its debut in less than three months. I do not feel ready at all. Maybe that will change after I read the big stack of pregancy books on the bedside table and attend the infant safety/ CPR and childbirth classes. So much to do before our little bundle of joy arrives!

Weekly Wows!

It's been awhile since I last posted one of these, so I've got quite a few "wows" saved up!

Firstly, for the obvious: My new blog design has finally been installed. Hooray! Now if only I could figure out how to make the other half of the pregnancy ticker show up...


Last weekend Clay and I got to take a babymoon to a little ranch outside Weatherford, Texas. It was a bed and breakfast of sorts - the owner stocked the fridge with homemade quiche, fruit, juice, and breads to start the morning when you pleased! There was a full kitchen, so we could have cooked while we were there...but we didn't. :) Mostly we spent the weekend relaxing: walking around the downtown square and nearby antique shops, checking out the farmer's market, enjoying some of Weatherford's fine dining, and catching a movie. We didn't even take the camera. It was so nice to get away for a weekend before the two of us become the three of us!

Since Weatherford has so many car dealerships, our babymoon just so happened to include a little detour to one of them. We had been talking about upgrading my 2000 Honda Civic to a more family-friendly car and had a little time to spare, so we thought, "Why not?" After looking at several different crossovers and SUVs and test driving one, Clay and I decided that we were huge fans of the Toyota Venza. Being the accountant that he is, dear Clay had to do some research as soon as we got home and found a good deal on one at a dealership up in Plano. Betcha can't guess where he headed this Saturday. Or what he came home with.

(I'll give you a little hint:)

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We have been tooling around in our new car all weekend! I have never seen Clay so excited to run errands before. :) It is definitely an adjustment to go from my manual windows and cruise-controlless Honda to the lap of luxury - but somehow I think I'll manage!

I have recently discovered the genius that is Kendi Everyday, and am subsequently suffering from a case of style envy (which is depressing when you're seven months pregnant and they don't make that in maternity sizes). She has such an eye for putting things together in an unexpected but polished way. And I LOVE her hair.

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See how cute she is? And she came up with this amazing 30 for 30 Remix Challenge: take 30 items from your closet, then mix and match them into 30 new outfits without going shopping for 30 days. (Her results are, of course, inspiring.) So not only is she adorable, but quite the thinker too! This is definitely something to tackle after Baby Rich arrives - and my closet expands again. :D

This weekend my dad came through town on his bi-annual trip to his research area in Oklahoma. It was so good to visit with him in person instead of over Skype or on the phone. The visit was a quick one as he had to head north this afternoon, but there was a little time for some scooter fun:

And oh yeah - I started my third trimester of pregnancy on Saturday. Wowsers!

25-26-27

25 Weeks                       26 Weeks                          27 Weeks

Some new experiences with this stage of pregnancy:

The belly is growing! It is becoming more challenging to bend over to put on my shoes or paint my toenails. If I look straight down (without stretching my neck), I can no longer see my feet! And the weirdest thing about all this is that I'm still able to wear a few non-maternity clothing items. Probably not for much longer, though. :)

My belly button is starting to flatten out, and I anticipate it popping out in the next several weeks. :) It's kind of wierd to be able to see the end of your belly button.

Last Saturday I felt what can best be described as really awful cramps. My stomach was tightening up and all I wanted to do was curl up in a little ball (which I did). After a little research, I realized that I was experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions. It kind of freaked me out when my pregnancy book called them "practice contractions" because they did NOT feel good at all. If those were just a warm-up, I don't know that I'm excited to feel the real thing! Fortunately, I haven't experienced any more since then.

Baby Rich is still moving and grooving in my tummy - it seems like all the time! (This added a very uncomfortable twist to the aforementioned contractions.) Our little jellybean especially likes to do a little kung fu right about the time I'm going to sleep.

Oh, what fun!

Just one more week until I'm in the THIRD TRIMESTER!

Catching Up

A lot has happened since the Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies. (As my sister said, "Enough with the cornmeal cookies. Show me some belly pics!" Never mind that she was standing in front of me and looking at my belly.) So although this post doesn't contain any belly pics, you will find out exactly what has been keeping me away from the computer...

First of all, I have finally finished volunteer training at work! No more crazy schedules - at least for a while! Preparations for our 15th Annual Victory Over Violence Walk/ Run are revving up, so I have a feeling that more odd hours are on the horizon. But for now, I shall revel in the normalcy. :)

Lately, my nesting instinct has been operating in overdrive. I have been cleaning out every closet, drawer, and cabinet in our house, streamlining the possessions we currently have and trying to make room for all the new baby things that will soon invade those spaces. Because we only have four rooms in our house (well, technically five, but you can't really stack much in the bathroom), our nursery currently looks like this:

Just keepin' it real, folks.

You would think that 1100 square feet wouldn't hold that much stuff...but then you would be wrong. Apparently there is a lot more to get rid of than I thought! (This will probably be a work in progress for several more weeks, unfortunately.) Hopefully the baby furniture will arrive soon and help move things along. :)

A week ago Sunday we went to see the Ten Tenors at Bass Hall. And we liked it. Of all the shows coming this season to Bass and Casa, this was one that both Clay and I weren't too sure about. I mean, I love a talented musician - but several hours of straight singing? I was a little skeptical. But this group of Aussies sure kept us entertained! Their rendition of Bohemian Rhaposdy was particularly charming. We would definitely recommend.

My dear, sweet mother-in-law sent me an email last week reminding me that there were only 100 days left in my pregnancy. Yikes! It is hard to believe that almost three months from now, I will be holding Baby Rich in my arms.

On Friday, I came home to find that there were large holes surrounded by orange fencing up and down one side of our street. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the seismic testing that's been going on or if it's got something to do with the impending street construction. Either way, I have a feeling we'll be modifying our daily routines here shortly. Let's just hope they can finish the construction before I have to traverse giant holes with a baby carrier in tow!

All these goings-on have worn out these parents-to-be. That's why the hubs and I will be taking a little babymoon to a secluded ranch near Weatherford this coming weekend. Hopefully I'll return with a little more energy - and post some belly pics!

Catch you on the flip side. ;)