Who Will the Baby Look Like?
Aunt Carolyn sent us some baby pictures of Scott, so we decided to post a few of each of us so that when the baby comes we'll all be able to compare and figure out who the baby looks like. Check out the photos page. I don't know... those Reithel genes run pretty strong and I'm a pretty good mix of both of my families. The jury will have to be out until baby is here . Two things are almost certain -- the baby will be blonde and have blue eyes (I think according to my memory of 7th grade science and Mendel Tables, genetically the baby HAS to have blue eyes!), will likely have a button nose and some nice baby cheeks . Basically, it will be one cute baby!
We've also started to put together a CD for the baby's listening pleasure -- now and in the future. Good "sing to baby" music... any suggestions?
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Making of a Baby Room
The baby's room is looking more like a baby room , though we still don't have any furniture yet . I'm thinking we'll be able to pick it up somewhere around the end of August/beginning of September. We do have the curtains though, which I think are very cute, and a small rug for the middle of the room. I'm really liking the red and white combo. We have holdbacks for the curtains too, but daddy hasn't had a chance to install those yet -- that will be a small project for the weekend.
I find myself going to the room a lot. Just to turn the light on and look. I just like to be in there. I actually really wish the glider were here, I think I would spend a lot of time just sitting in there quietly being with our little chickpea. We still have a lot of organizing to do. The baby clothes (notice all the green and yellow!!) are organized by size now, but we want to get baskets to store them all in. I think once we have everything in the room we'll be able to figure out where the diaper stuff should go, where clothes should go, etc. Lots of fun ahead!
Everything else is still good. I think the baby had the hiccups yesterday -- either that or he/she was practicing boxing moves and using my stomach as a speed bag! It was kinda a wierd feeling!
We've decided to make a trip to Michigan in August. We're going to check on the house in Monroe and then spend some time with Scott's family. Ryan and Carrie willl also be in town, so we'll get to see them too. It will be a nice chance to see everyone -- our trip to Michigan in May was really too short and we didn't get to spend much time with people. This will be a bit more relaxed. We're driving, which will hopefully make the travel part of it easier. Flying is no fun for me -- causes ridiculous amounts of swelling! So, we're looking forward to the trip and to the baby shower that mom and Amy are planning -- it'll be a real chance to celebrate the coming of the baby with everyone.
That's about it -- life is plugging along
The baby's room is looking more like a baby room , though we still don't have any furniture yet . I'm thinking we'll be able to pick it up somewhere around the end of August/beginning of September. We do have the curtains though, which I think are very cute, and a small rug for the middle of the room. I'm really liking the red and white combo. We have holdbacks for the curtains too, but daddy hasn't had a chance to install those yet -- that will be a small project for the weekend.
I find myself going to the room a lot. Just to turn the light on and look. I just like to be in there. I actually really wish the glider were here, I think I would spend a lot of time just sitting in there quietly being with our little chickpea. We still have a lot of organizing to do. The baby clothes (notice all the green and yellow!!) are organized by size now, but we want to get baskets to store them all in. I think once we have everything in the room we'll be able to figure out where the diaper stuff should go, where clothes should go, etc. Lots of fun ahead!
Everything else is still good. I think the baby had the hiccups yesterday -- either that or he/she was practicing boxing moves and using my stomach as a speed bag! It was kinda a wierd feeling!
We've decided to make a trip to Michigan in August. We're going to check on the house in Monroe and then spend some time with Scott's family. Ryan and Carrie willl also be in town, so we'll get to see them too. It will be a nice chance to see everyone -- our trip to Michigan in May was really too short and we didn't get to spend much time with people. This will be a bit more relaxed. We're driving, which will hopefully make the travel part of it easier. Flying is no fun for me -- causes ridiculous amounts of swelling! So, we're looking forward to the trip and to the baby shower that mom and Amy are planning -- it'll be a real chance to celebrate the coming of the baby with everyone.
That's about it -- life is plugging along
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Happy Birthday Tavi!
Bob and Irina brought their little baby boy into the world this morning around 8:00 a.m. Bob reported that baby and mommy are doing well -- Tavi was 7 pounds 13 1/2 ounces and 21 inches long. Just right! I'm sure Irina was relieved, at one point they were predicting a 9.5 pound baby! Tavi is a beautiful baby (see the photos in the photo gallery) and mom and dad are glowing. Makes me even more anxious for MY baby... We can't wait to hear all about the birth and to fully congratulate everyone in Atlanta -- we know they are very happy! Happy Birthday Tavi!!
Bob and Irina brought their little baby boy into the world this morning around 8:00 a.m. Bob reported that baby and mommy are doing well -- Tavi was 7 pounds 13 1/2 ounces and 21 inches long. Just right! I'm sure Irina was relieved, at one point they were predicting a 9.5 pound baby! Tavi is a beautiful baby (see the photos in the photo gallery) and mom and dad are glowing. Makes me even more anxious for MY baby... We can't wait to hear all about the birth and to fully congratulate everyone in Atlanta -- we know they are very happy! Happy Birthday Tavi!!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Best Wishes and Happy Birthday
One of my very best girlfriends, Irina, is being induced today. In 1 1/2 hours actually. So, here's to a quick and uneventful birth! Irina, Bob and Tavi are all in our thoughts and we can't wait to hear from them. Happy Birthday Tavi!! We love you all!
Update: Irina's induction was moved to this afternoon, so no baby action yet in Atlanta. We might not be singing "Happy Birthday" until tomorrow. Oh the anticipation -- how am I ever going to survive the 'not-knowing when' when it's MY baby! Guess I'll just have to! We're still thinking about you Irina -- best of luck!
One of my very best girlfriends, Irina, is being induced today. In 1 1/2 hours actually. So, here's to a quick and uneventful birth! Irina, Bob and Tavi are all in our thoughts and we can't wait to hear from them. Happy Birthday Tavi!! We love you all!
Update: Irina's induction was moved to this afternoon, so no baby action yet in Atlanta. We might not be singing "Happy Birthday" until tomorrow. Oh the anticipation -- how am I ever going to survive the 'not-knowing when' when it's MY baby! Guess I'll just have to! We're still thinking about you Irina -- best of luck!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Everybody's Healthy
Dr.'s appointment today. I saw one of the other Dr.'s in the practice I go to and found him to be very nice. He reviewed all my labs with me and all tests up to this point have come back normal -- or negative when need be (e.g. the blood test for spina bifida was negative). My blood pressure is good -- no signs of pre-eclympsia (pretty sure I butchered the spelling on that one...), which I'm happy about 'cause I don't think I could do bed rest! My belly measured right at 24 cm -- apparently there is a pretty direct correlation between cm and number of weeks within 2 cm. So, I'm right on target -- 24 cm at 24 (almost 25) weeks. Baby's heartbeat was strong. It's always so nice to hear that heartbeat. I still wish I could see the baby every month , but I'll take what I can get. The baby has been a bit more active the past couple of days, letting me know he/she is in there!
Not much else going on on the baby front. I'll do a routine glucose test in two weeks to check for gestational diabetes and my next appointment is mid-August. After that, appointments will be every two weeks. The third trimester is coming up fast!
I guess that's all for today -- happy birthday to Uncle Christian!
Dr.'s appointment today. I saw one of the other Dr.'s in the practice I go to and found him to be very nice. He reviewed all my labs with me and all tests up to this point have come back normal -- or negative when need be (e.g. the blood test for spina bifida was negative). My blood pressure is good -- no signs of pre-eclympsia (pretty sure I butchered the spelling on that one...), which I'm happy about 'cause I don't think I could do bed rest! My belly measured right at 24 cm -- apparently there is a pretty direct correlation between cm and number of weeks within 2 cm. So, I'm right on target -- 24 cm at 24 (almost 25) weeks. Baby's heartbeat was strong. It's always so nice to hear that heartbeat. I still wish I could see the baby every month , but I'll take what I can get. The baby has been a bit more active the past couple of days, letting me know he/she is in there!
Not much else going on on the baby front. I'll do a routine glucose test in two weeks to check for gestational diabetes and my next appointment is mid-August. After that, appointments will be every two weeks. The third trimester is coming up fast!
I guess that's all for today -- happy birthday to Uncle Christian!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Green Nesting
I suppose the need to clean that I've been feeling lately stems from the need to nest, or make a good home for the little one I've got cooking in my belly . So, when Scott asked what the plan was for this weekend and I said "deep cleaning!" he wasn't too thrilled . He didn't argue either though.
We got up Saturday and did our cooking for the week (no sense in cleaning the kitchen and then making a mess...), Scott did yardwork, and we enjoyed an evening of baseball with the Mets. It was a great night for baseball -- good weather, good company (Sam and Dave from Scott's work), and decent baseball. There weren't any Tigers or Cardinals to be seen, so of course it wasn't GREAT baseball, but it was good enough. The Mets won, so that was good, might as well root for the home team! It was Ralph Kiner night so we got to learn a LOT of Ralph trivia and witness a tribute ceremony from a string of old but famous Mets people. I have to take it back, there was ONE Tiger in the house -- Ernie Harwell was on the field for the Ralph Kiner tribute. Scott was very excited about that! The game started late (8:00), but it was a quick one. Good pitching, not a lot of action. I was happy it didn't go into extra innings! So, baby has now been to two baseball games -- I don't think we'll be getting to a Tigers game this year, but maybe next summer.
What about all that cleaning we were going to do? Well, today was the day for some serious cleaning. We slept in a bit (all the way to 7:00 for me!) since we had been out late for the game, had a leisurely breakfast, and then got down to cleaning/nesting.
The "green" part comes from the fact that we've recently decided to do away with all commercial/chemical/toxic cleaners and switch to environmentally friendly, non-toxic, largely home-made cleaning products. We had already started our switch by getting rid of all our cleaning supplies (at least moving them to the basement -- we still need to figure out the best way to dispose of them...), switching to homemade laundry detergent, a commercial but environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent (the homemade one left a thick film...), and homemade all-purpose cleaner in the kitchen. But today would be the first time we really put our decision to the test -- a serious cleaning that included the BATHROOM! We agreed to give our recipes a shot, and if we weren't happy with the results, we would find a "green" commercial alternative. Fortunately for our budget, we were really happy with our homemade concoctions. It's amazing what baking soda and vinegar can do! And a little elbow grease.... We only caved in ONE room. The guest bathroom was worse off than we thought. It's only been used about a dozen times in the past year, but the shower walls and ceiling are all tile and there is no exhaust fan in there making it a perfect place for mold. Yuck! We probably could have done a good enough job with the vinegar mix, but it would have required a lot of muscle and it was difficult to reach all of the spots. So, we agreed to one more cleaning with the heavy duty-chemical cleaner and then from here on out we would maintain it with the more pleasant alternative cleaners. Fortunately Scott took care of that so I didn't have to be around the fumes.
We managed to get the upstairs pretty well taken care of during the morning hours. We worked a little bit after lunch and then it just got too warm to be cleaning (yeah, we haven't turned on the air yet!). The downstairs will be our project for the rest of the week -- with cleaning here and there in the morning before work and in the afternoon after work. Shouldn't be too bad -- we do more regular cleanings downstairs and have actually gotten pretty good at keeping the kitchen in good order. The biggest problem is that we spend so much time downstairs that it attracts clutter. Even that has been better lately. We're just much more at peace when the house is in order -- and I'd like to bring the baby home to a peaceful environment .
The baby's room got a good cleaning today too -- we can't wait 'till we have furniture to put in there!
We feel good about the fact that we've been able to get all of the toxic cleaning materials out of the house before the baby comes and to get into these good habits now. We've never been messy folks, but there's always room for improvement! (Unless you're my mother of course, she is the queen of cleaning. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to live up to her skills!)
We spent the afternoon enjoying each other's company and the nice weather (a bit hot, but nice in the house with all the windows open and sitting on the couch...) and reading. I've started the read-aloud book which is a compilation of research and testimonials regarding the benefits of reading aloud to children. Scott and I must have been read to a lot, 'cause we certainly appreciate reading now and always have. That's one trait we're happy to pass down to our child.
Now we're geared up for another week. Dr.'s appointment in on Wednesday. Still waiting to hear about Tavi's arrival into Bob and Irina's life.
I suppose the need to clean that I've been feeling lately stems from the need to nest, or make a good home for the little one I've got cooking in my belly . So, when Scott asked what the plan was for this weekend and I said "deep cleaning!" he wasn't too thrilled . He didn't argue either though.
We got up Saturday and did our cooking for the week (no sense in cleaning the kitchen and then making a mess...), Scott did yardwork, and we enjoyed an evening of baseball with the Mets. It was a great night for baseball -- good weather, good company (Sam and Dave from Scott's work), and decent baseball. There weren't any Tigers or Cardinals to be seen, so of course it wasn't GREAT baseball, but it was good enough. The Mets won, so that was good, might as well root for the home team! It was Ralph Kiner night so we got to learn a LOT of Ralph trivia and witness a tribute ceremony from a string of old but famous Mets people. I have to take it back, there was ONE Tiger in the house -- Ernie Harwell was on the field for the Ralph Kiner tribute. Scott was very excited about that! The game started late (8:00), but it was a quick one. Good pitching, not a lot of action. I was happy it didn't go into extra innings! So, baby has now been to two baseball games -- I don't think we'll be getting to a Tigers game this year, but maybe next summer.
What about all that cleaning we were going to do? Well, today was the day for some serious cleaning. We slept in a bit (all the way to 7:00 for me!) since we had been out late for the game, had a leisurely breakfast, and then got down to cleaning/nesting.
The "green" part comes from the fact that we've recently decided to do away with all commercial/chemical/toxic cleaners and switch to environmentally friendly, non-toxic, largely home-made cleaning products. We had already started our switch by getting rid of all our cleaning supplies (at least moving them to the basement -- we still need to figure out the best way to dispose of them...), switching to homemade laundry detergent, a commercial but environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent (the homemade one left a thick film...), and homemade all-purpose cleaner in the kitchen. But today would be the first time we really put our decision to the test -- a serious cleaning that included the BATHROOM! We agreed to give our recipes a shot, and if we weren't happy with the results, we would find a "green" commercial alternative. Fortunately for our budget, we were really happy with our homemade concoctions. It's amazing what baking soda and vinegar can do! And a little elbow grease.... We only caved in ONE room. The guest bathroom was worse off than we thought. It's only been used about a dozen times in the past year, but the shower walls and ceiling are all tile and there is no exhaust fan in there making it a perfect place for mold. Yuck! We probably could have done a good enough job with the vinegar mix, but it would have required a lot of muscle and it was difficult to reach all of the spots. So, we agreed to one more cleaning with the heavy duty-chemical cleaner and then from here on out we would maintain it with the more pleasant alternative cleaners. Fortunately Scott took care of that so I didn't have to be around the fumes.
We managed to get the upstairs pretty well taken care of during the morning hours. We worked a little bit after lunch and then it just got too warm to be cleaning (yeah, we haven't turned on the air yet!). The downstairs will be our project for the rest of the week -- with cleaning here and there in the morning before work and in the afternoon after work. Shouldn't be too bad -- we do more regular cleanings downstairs and have actually gotten pretty good at keeping the kitchen in good order. The biggest problem is that we spend so much time downstairs that it attracts clutter. Even that has been better lately. We're just much more at peace when the house is in order -- and I'd like to bring the baby home to a peaceful environment .
The baby's room got a good cleaning today too -- we can't wait 'till we have furniture to put in there!
We feel good about the fact that we've been able to get all of the toxic cleaning materials out of the house before the baby comes and to get into these good habits now. We've never been messy folks, but there's always room for improvement! (Unless you're my mother of course, she is the queen of cleaning. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to live up to her skills!)
We spent the afternoon enjoying each other's company and the nice weather (a bit hot, but nice in the house with all the windows open and sitting on the couch...) and reading. I've started the read-aloud book which is a compilation of research and testimonials regarding the benefits of reading aloud to children. Scott and I must have been read to a lot, 'cause we certainly appreciate reading now and always have. That's one trait we're happy to pass down to our child.
Now we're geared up for another week. Dr.'s appointment in on Wednesday. Still waiting to hear about Tavi's arrival into Bob and Irina's life.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
What We're Reading and Other Thoughts
After visiting Bevin and talking to her about books she read, we went out and bought The Attachment Parenting Book by Sears and Sears. After reading about half of the book, I know Bevin's secret . I know why she's had such an easy time with her milk, why Cal is thriving, why he's such a good baby -- she's providing him with such a secure and happy environment that he can't help but thrive! This is such a natural way of parenting that emphasizes keeping the baby close to you always -- very different from the baby trainer books that say NOT to hold your child, let the baby cry, get the baby on a schedule, etc. This is definitely a parenting style that Scott and I can get behind. We had already talked about using a baby sling (and Irina has sent me one already!) and doing a lot of other things in the book, so it just seems natural.
Bevin also recommend the Read-Aloud-Handbook -- that one's on the way!
We finished reading The Golden Compass to the baby. The next two books in the trilogy are also on the way.
All else is in order. We've got plans to go to a Mets game this Saturday -- and to give the house a good cleaning . Baby and I have our next Dr.'s appointment on Wednesday. Unfortunately we don't get to have any more ultrasounds. Which is a good thing 'cause it means everybody is healthy, but is a bummer 'cause it's so nice to see the baby. At least I'll get to hear the heartbeat. After my August appointment, I start going every two weeks. 113 days sounds like a long time and November seems REALLY far away (especially in this heat...), but 3 1/2 months doesn't sound so long. I'm sure the time will pass much faster than I think. Time is good though, 'cause we still have a lot to do to get ready for the little one!
Still waiting to hear from Bob and Irina -- I'm sure they are getting REALLY anxious! I can't wait to hear all about Tavi's entrance into the world. It certainly is the year of babies!
After visiting Bevin and talking to her about books she read, we went out and bought The Attachment Parenting Book by Sears and Sears. After reading about half of the book, I know Bevin's secret . I know why she's had such an easy time with her milk, why Cal is thriving, why he's such a good baby -- she's providing him with such a secure and happy environment that he can't help but thrive! This is such a natural way of parenting that emphasizes keeping the baby close to you always -- very different from the baby trainer books that say NOT to hold your child, let the baby cry, get the baby on a schedule, etc. This is definitely a parenting style that Scott and I can get behind. We had already talked about using a baby sling (and Irina has sent me one already!) and doing a lot of other things in the book, so it just seems natural.
Bevin also recommend the Read-Aloud-Handbook -- that one's on the way!
We finished reading The Golden Compass to the baby. The next two books in the trilogy are also on the way.
All else is in order. We've got plans to go to a Mets game this Saturday -- and to give the house a good cleaning . Baby and I have our next Dr.'s appointment on Wednesday. Unfortunately we don't get to have any more ultrasounds. Which is a good thing 'cause it means everybody is healthy, but is a bummer 'cause it's so nice to see the baby. At least I'll get to hear the heartbeat. After my August appointment, I start going every two weeks. 113 days sounds like a long time and November seems REALLY far away (especially in this heat...), but 3 1/2 months doesn't sound so long. I'm sure the time will pass much faster than I think. Time is good though, 'cause we still have a lot to do to get ready for the little one!
Still waiting to hear from Bob and Irina -- I'm sure they are getting REALLY anxious! I can't wait to hear all about Tavi's entrance into the world. It certainly is the year of babies!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Friends and Furniture
Scott decided he wasn't feeling well yesterday (Friday) and decided to take a half-day at work and leave at 1:00. That just happens to be about the time I get out of school . We had been planning on going up to Boston the next day to look for baby furniture at a warehouse recommended by Bevin. Unfortunately we were going to miss Bevin and Robert as they were going out of town for the day. A serendipitous e-mail came from Bevin around the same time Scott e-mailed me to tell me he was going to leave work early, suggesting that we come up Friday night for dinner, spend the night with them and then go to the furniture warehouse Saturday morning (when they were heading to N.H.). Just like that we planned an over-night trip to Boston!
It was SO wonderful to see Bevin, Robert and baby Cal. It was our first time meeting Cal -- and he was the best baby! Bevin looks great, which isn't surprising, and is enjoying her summer off with the baby. Cal is adorable -- a BIG boy, but so good and so happy. Cal has his mommy's cheeks and her great big smile. Robert is such a patient and involved daddy. It was really great to see a set of new parents so comfortable in their role, enjoying every minute with the baby and with each other -- even the poopy diapers! Bevin and Robert were so calm and laid back and yet so very loving and attentive all at the same time. Definitely good role models for us. We enjoyed visiting with everyone and then having a good dinner out followed by ice cream . We ended the night watching a little Caddy Shack -- Bevin, Cal and I fell asleep!
Robert treated us to blueberry pancakes this morning and then we headed out to look at baby furniture. We strolled through Babies 'r' Us to get some ideas and then headed to the Baby Furniture Warehouse where we were able to pick out a crib (that converts to a toddler bed and a full size bed) and a glider chair. We got some very nice, high quality furniture that should last us a very long time -- through several children if we need it to!
We made it back home wishing we had been able to bring the furniture home with us and set up the nursery right away. Unfortunately, we had to order the furniture and won't be able to get it for up to 12 weeks (hopefully not that long!). On the upside -- when it comes in we'll get to make another trip to Boston! We are starting to get a better feel for the things we will need for the baby -- Bevin was a wealth of information and suggestions. Every step leaves us more and more anxious to have the baby here with us!
Speaking of being anxious for babies to come -- our friends Bob and Irina are waiting patiently for their little Tavi to arrive. He is due on 7/13/07, though they were kind of hoping for a lucky 7 baby today. Alas, Tavi wasn't ready to come out yet -- we're sure he'll be here soon though and we can't wait to meet him too! If we have a baby girl, she's going to have lots of little boyfriends all over the country to go and visit !
Scott decided he wasn't feeling well yesterday (Friday) and decided to take a half-day at work and leave at 1:00. That just happens to be about the time I get out of school . We had been planning on going up to Boston the next day to look for baby furniture at a warehouse recommended by Bevin. Unfortunately we were going to miss Bevin and Robert as they were going out of town for the day. A serendipitous e-mail came from Bevin around the same time Scott e-mailed me to tell me he was going to leave work early, suggesting that we come up Friday night for dinner, spend the night with them and then go to the furniture warehouse Saturday morning (when they were heading to N.H.). Just like that we planned an over-night trip to Boston!
It was SO wonderful to see Bevin, Robert and baby Cal. It was our first time meeting Cal -- and he was the best baby! Bevin looks great, which isn't surprising, and is enjoying her summer off with the baby. Cal is adorable -- a BIG boy, but so good and so happy. Cal has his mommy's cheeks and her great big smile. Robert is such a patient and involved daddy. It was really great to see a set of new parents so comfortable in their role, enjoying every minute with the baby and with each other -- even the poopy diapers! Bevin and Robert were so calm and laid back and yet so very loving and attentive all at the same time. Definitely good role models for us. We enjoyed visiting with everyone and then having a good dinner out followed by ice cream . We ended the night watching a little Caddy Shack -- Bevin, Cal and I fell asleep!
Robert treated us to blueberry pancakes this morning and then we headed out to look at baby furniture. We strolled through Babies 'r' Us to get some ideas and then headed to the Baby Furniture Warehouse where we were able to pick out a crib (that converts to a toddler bed and a full size bed) and a glider chair. We got some very nice, high quality furniture that should last us a very long time -- through several children if we need it to!
We made it back home wishing we had been able to bring the furniture home with us and set up the nursery right away. Unfortunately, we had to order the furniture and won't be able to get it for up to 12 weeks (hopefully not that long!). On the upside -- when it comes in we'll get to make another trip to Boston! We are starting to get a better feel for the things we will need for the baby -- Bevin was a wealth of information and suggestions. Every step leaves us more and more anxious to have the baby here with us!
Speaking of being anxious for babies to come -- our friends Bob and Irina are waiting patiently for their little Tavi to arrive. He is due on 7/13/07, though they were kind of hoping for a lucky 7 baby today. Alas, Tavi wasn't ready to come out yet -- we're sure he'll be here soon though and we can't wait to meet him too! If we have a baby girl, she's going to have lots of little boyfriends all over the country to go and visit !
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Summer Re-Cap (So Far)
We've had a busy summer! We spent Memorial Day weekend in Unionville, MI with Scott's family and got to see Katelyn make her confirmation. It was a quick trip, unfortunately, but it was great to see everyone and to share Katelyn's day with her. Grandma and Papa Reithel are excited about the impending birth. They're hoping for a boy to pass on the family name! Katelyn and Meghan are getting bigger everyday -- Meghan wears the same size shoe as Aunt Shannon! Kevin, Amy and Kent all look great and also are excited for the new baby to come. We miss everyone there very much!
June brought our 3rd anniversary and our 31st birthdays! We had quiet celebrations for all, which was okay wtih us. We enjoyed just being together. Even after three years of marriage, we are still cosmic as ever -- we bought each other the same anniversary card! Scott treated me to "wifey day" as a part of my gift which included a half-day at the spa. I gotta say, I enjoyed the spa treatments quite a bit! I did my best to reciprocate by making June 16th "Hubby Day". I don't think I topped the spa....
June 15th was our 20 week ultrasound. We loved seeing the baby move around and play.
The school year ended for Shannon on June 21 and brought with it a week off. Yea! June 22 we headed to St. Louis to visit Shannon's family. That morning waiting for our plane in the airport, I very clearly felt the baby moving. That night when we were resting after our long day in front of the t.v. the baby was REALLY active. Scott got to feel the baby move that time. We think the baby might have been telling us it was time for storytime, but we were just too tired to read that night. That was the only storytime we missed so far though -- ever since the baby's hearing developed, we've spent a half-hour every night reading. We read the "Wizard of Oz" from the original "Oz Chronicles" and we're now 2/3 of the way through "The Golden Compass" (Thanks Ryan and Carrie!). From time to time we also throw in "Millie Moo" and "Oh Baby, the Places You'll Go". Reading time is a great time to be together and enjoy being a family.
Our week in St. Louis was filled with lots of activity. A Cardinals game behind home plate, the baby's first introduction to Fredbird (The Ross campaign to make this baby a Cardinal's fan is already going strong -- I think Daddy is a little distressed by that!), lunch with Sister, shopping with Mom, dinner with the whole family (including Christian!), a trip to see Grandma Babe (who is doing very well and is determined to get out of the nursing home and back into her own home), as well as a visit with Donna and her family and Michelle, another dinner out with the whole family followed by The Fabulous Mo Town Review -- it really was fabulous, dinner with Sister and Jason, and all topped off with a 16 hour drive home to Connecticut in our new car.
July 2 it was back to reality for us, which means back to work. Shannon is lucky that she has summer hours -- school is out at 1:00 for the students and 1:30 for staff . Unfortunately, Scott doesn't have such good hours, even in the summer. Today we're enjoying a mid-week day off for the 4th. We've got plans to go to a BB-Q later today.
We feel so happy and blessed to have had the chance to see both of our families in the past month. Every where we go we are greeted with such love and excitement for both us and the baby. We have no doubt that this baby is going to be very loved. We've been showered with emotional support as well as very generous gifts at every step. We are so happy that this baby is going to bring even more family time to us in the months after it is born. We can't wait to share every bit of excitement with everyone!
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