What a Week?!?!

This week has been tough!

Monday, we went to Labor Basics - Part 1. It was an extremely informative class, complete with video :). I do think the video almost made Barry pass out... Part 1 was geared toward what Labor and Delivery would be like "if baby read the book." Next week, we will attend Labor Basics - Part 2. Can't wait to see what we are going to learn!!!

Tuesday through today, I have been down and out with my 2nd cold of the month. This one is tough! I'm sleeping and drinking fluids (including o.j., which Ryleigh thinks is the best thing EVER), but still no progress... Fingers crossed that it's gone before my next baby shower on Sunday!

Nursery

In preparation for yesterday's shower, we completed a bunch of projects around the house! Landscaping, stairs, cleaning and nursery furniture and basic decor = complete. SO exciting! Here are some pictures from the nursery!!!

Baby Shower!

Yesterday was a wonderful day! Allison hosted a wonderful shower to spoil Ryleigh and me. It was SO much fun, and now our baby girl has SO many beautiful and useful things. All our my best friends were in attendance. I feel so unbelievably lucky!

I can't believe her expected arrival is only 11 weeks away!

Surprise Shower Pics!

As promised, here are a couple pictures from my surprise work shower last week :).

So Many Updates!!!

There has been so much going on! Time to play blog catch-up :)...

This past Sunday officially marked the start of my 3rd trimester. Ryleigh will be here before we know it! It's evident that she's preparing because she's moving constantly! Big movements that I can see too... Just last week at Jade's birthday dinner, she had an opportunity to feel Ryleigh move and she was amazed. It was the first baby kick she experienced - ever!

Last Thursday, my co-workers through me a surprise baby shower. It was so much fun! They had pink balloons, a chocolate cake with bavarian cream and fresh strawberry filling and started a pool on the date of Ryleigh's delivery. I was so taken aback by the number of gifts that they gave me and the support that they showed for Ryleigh, Barry and me. I was very touched! Pictures have not yet been sent to me, but I will post them when I get them.

I know I mentioned potentially buying my breast pump with the gift card my co-workers got me, but after exploring the return policy, I decided instead to buy the pack 'n play :). We now officially have the essentials that we need to bring our new baby home (when she's ready to join us, of course).

This past weekend, we went to a couples shower for our friends Allison and Jason. They received so many cute clothes!!! I can't wait to see what gifts we will get at our upcoming showers :).

Lastly, we have made a lot of progress preparing the house and nursery for Ryleigh's arrival. The yard was cleaned-up today, the stair repairs will be complete tomorrow and the nursery preparations are under-way. The painting is complete and just last night, I created tie-backs for the curtains. I believe that is the last craft I'm going to be able to pull-off... It took me 1 and a half spools of ribbon to create 2 tie-backs :). I'll post nursery pictures as soon as we get the crown molding up and the furniture delivered (due on Thursday)!!

To Buy or Not to Buy...

I have a 20% off coupon for Babies R Us though this Saturday. My baby showers are not until the 25th and 3rd... I really don't want to waste the coupon, but I'm wondering if I should buy something big to take advantage of the discount. Maybe my breast pump since I doubt anyone will want to buy that for me :).

3 Months to Go and a Name!

Now that our closest family and friends know Birble's "real" name, we are excited to announce to everyone that her name will be Ryleigh Rá!

Losing My Balance

I ran into a weight machine this morning at the gym and the coffee table at home this afternoon... Nothing serious, a couple banged-up knees, but I'm laughing at myself. Time to start being more cautious and to leave the fine china in the hutch :).

More Progress!

Barry and "Auntie Bridget" painted the main walls of the nursery this week! Only the closet and trim left to go... very exciting! The color is EXACTLY what I wanted, so it's very exciting to see the room starting to take shape. Birble is going to have the best room in the house :).

We also had our second pediatrician interview yesterday. We really liked this doctor too, but we did not care for the over-all practice as much. We have made a decision and are so excited about our choice!

Less than 100 days!

We are 2/3 of the way through this pregnancy, and overall it has been fun!! I'm feeling pretty good, although my back is starting to ache some and my digestive system is NOT happy with the junk food I've been eating. I thoroughly enjoyed my chocolate peanut butter milkshake from Cheeburger Cheeburger though... that may have to happen at least once more before Birble gets here :). Back to reality today!!!

I'm feeling a tremendous amount of movement now. Birble is tossing and turning all over the place! She seems most active around 9am, 1pm, 9pm and 3-4am... I'm wondering if that will correlate to when she gets here...

Today, I will be discussing my maternity leave at work. Wish me luck! I'm sure it will go well, but still a bit nerve-wracking...

Hmmm... To tell the baby's name or not to tell that baby's name... that is the burning question!!! I'm thinking we're going to let the cat out of the bag, but Barry and I need to coordinate on timing... Stay tuned!

Infant CPR

We attended infant CPR class last night at St. Mary's, and even though it's difficult to think about having to revive your infant, it's important to know how... because you never know. What an excellent class!! I recommend it to all first time parents, and anyone who needs a refresher.

I wasn't sure I was going to make it on time because 95 South was closed due to an accident, but we made it RIGHT on time... whew! And who was our instructor but Ms. Laurie Shepard, mother of friends from high school. What a small world!!!!!