Christmas Again

On Monday evening my mom and her husband, Bilhenry, came into town so we could celebrate Christmas with them and so they could see their constantly growing, changing little grandson. They got in early enough on Monday evening that they were able to stop by and visit for a little while, but Ridley fussed almost the whole time they were over, which isn't like him. 

I was glad they were able to visit for a little bit though, and I was glad Nora and Robin came too! And even though he fussed a bunch, Ridley was glad to see them too. He also enjoyed showing off his skeleton outfit:

On Tuesday (yesterday) Ridley seemed to be feeling much better. He was still a bit cranky, and he was being really picky about things - like refusing to nap anywhere but his snugli - but overall a vast improvement from Monday night. 

We headed over to my aunt's house in the evening to meet up with everyone for dinner. Ridley started getting cranky again, but he actually stayed pretty calm for Josh, so Josh took Ridley duty for most of the evening and even got him to sleep!

We had a great time with everyone and it was so good to see my mom and her husband. It's too bad we don't live closer so it would be easier to see them.

After we got home from Aunt Nettie's, Ridley ate some dinner, and then 20 minutes later had the biggest spit up of his life. He spewed all over himself, the bouncy chair he was in, and even hit the floor. I was in the other room when it happened, but Josh saw it. Ridley thought it was very funny and smiled and laughed. All his crankiness went away too, so his tummy must have been bothering him for a little bit. After we got him cleaned up and bathed he was right back to his sweet little self. 

My Trip to the Mall

This is the story of my trip to the mall last Sunday. By Ridley.

On Sunday, I went to the Mall of America with mommy, Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Robin. I picked out my MN Wild outfit that mommy and daddy got me to wear to the mall. I don't always like getting dressed, so some days I yell at mommy while she's getting me dressed:

Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Robin came to pick us up, and when we got to the mall we went to the cowboy store. All the salesmen thought I was adorable and showed us cowboy boots in my size. I didn't get any. 

Next we went to Best Buy and out in the hallway they had people playing with Nintendo Wiis! One girl was using a Wii Fit, so we stopped because mommy and Grandpa Jeff both wanted to see how they worked. 

After we dragged uncle Robin out of the guitar section of the store we went to Bubba Gump for lunch. I slept almost the whole time! This is Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Robin at Bubba Gump:

After mommy's lunch, I wanted lunch too. So we took a break outside the cheese store and I ate a whole bottle! Then Grandpa Jeff held me!

On our way home from the mall, we stopped at Caribou because everyone else wanted coffee. I don't drink coffee though - I'm just a baby! So mommy and I waited in the car while Uncle Robin and Grandpa Jeff went inside. I woke up while they were in there, but I just smiled and talked to mommy and didn't cry at all!

I had a fun day at the mall!

And to all a good night

Well Christmas has come and gone once again, and Ridley had a wonderful first Christmas. Due to some successful preparations on the evening of December 23 (diaper bag packing, present wrapping, etc), we managed to leave the house slightly earlier than we hoped on Christmas Eve morning - perhaps the first time that has happened since we had Ridley! 

After a quick run to Punch Pizza to grab Josh's iPod, we headed over the river and through the woods (literally) to Josh's grandmother's house. We spent a fun day there with Josh's aunts, uncles, and cousins. Cousins Brett and Steph brought their new dog, Carter, who is only three and a half pounds! She's really cute! As usual, Josh and several of his cousins went sledding and had a blast going off the jumps they built. Ridley and I stayed inside where it was warm. 

We left Grandma Holland's in the late afternoon to head back to Stillwater to celebrate with my dad, Diane, Char and Robin. Ridley took a nice nap while Auntie Char was holding him, and he got an "Achmed the Dead Terrorist*" t-shirt from Grandpa Jeff. It won't fit him until he's a little older, but it's going to be adorable!

After such a long day, Ridley slept pretty well, but he was still so tired from all the people and activity that he started off Christmas Day overly tired and a little bit cranky. 

But after taking a very long nap at Josh's parent's house Christmas morning, he was much happier:

Ridley spent the majority of Christmas Day being held by Josh or I, which seemed to make him happy after being passed around so much Christmas Eve. But he also spent some time with his Grandma Heidi and Grandpa Jeff (picture below) and a few other relatives. 

We spent the evening at my aunt and uncle's house, where Ridley got to meet some new dogs: my uncle's basset hound and my cousin's two bulldogs (one english bulldog and one american bulldog - two of the sweetest, most adorable dogs ever.) 

The day after Christmas was pretty quiet. The three of us met cousins Caitie and Inez at Como Conservatory in the morning, then we ran a quick errand to Target before heading home. Josh tried out the Indiana Jones game we got for the Wii - it looks pretty sweet and I'm excited to try it (and probably fail miserably. Video games are not Vickie's strong suit). 

Ridley took several long naps and spent some time "playing" with some of the toys he got for Christmas. Right now "playing" means "staring at and maybe touching if mom puts it in my hand." Below is a picture of him with his glow-worm, which Josh and I are excited about because they were really popular when we were kids too! He likes the glow-worm because it plays music. 

Yep, Ridley had a pretty great first Christmas, so far. But he's not done celebrating yet! My mom and her husband are coming in to town in a few days, so we'll get a chance to celebrate with them and other members of my mom's family too! 

*For those not familiar with Achmed the Dead Terrorist, check out www.jeffdunham.com

As a general rule, I don't like stand up comedy. I also don't like puppets. But this guy is hilarious. 

And some more pictures...

When we went to Blockbuster Wednesday evening, it was below zero, so we bundled Ridley up in his snowsuit, which is size 0-9 months. It's a little big still, but it kept him warm!

This is the bouncy seat mentioned in the post below. When I took the picture, he was staring at the elephant. 

The bouncy chair again - you can see the zebra and the alligator at the top of the picture, but the elephant (his favorite) is blocked)

He also has an elephant shirt!

Shoes!

Ridley wore shoes for the first time today! (see picture above) The shoes are just a little big, but since he isn't walking, it doesn't bother him, and we think they're awfully cute. And hopefully they keep his feet a little warmer than just his socks. 

We went to my doctor for our six-week post-partum check today. All looks good and I am officially released to go back to work on January 5. I am absolutely not looking forward to it, but I am glad that Josh and my schedules are different enough that Ridley will be able to spend the majority of his days and time with his mom and dad instead of in a day care. 

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away from today! Josh and I have been getting the last (ok, the majority) of our Christmas shopping done in the past two days. Ridley will be a busy boy over the holidays - we'll be at his Great-Grandma Holland's on Christmas Eve before going to my dad's for dinner - Robin will be home from DC! And we'll be able to spend time with both Josh's family and my dad's family on Christmas Day too. My mom will be headed out to MN early the following week so we can celebrate with her, my stepfather and her side of the family then. 

Ridley has recently become a big fan of his bouncy chair. It has three small stuffed animals that hang over his head for him to stare at: an elephant, an alligator and a zebra. He loves the elephant. It has a squeaker inside (like the kind in dog toys) and he smiles when we make it squeak. Sometimes he sits and stares at it very intently, and other times he smiles at it and "talks" to it. It's really cute. 

Mommy's Little Cutie

Ridley and daddy at Punch Pizza last week - look at his sweet little Christmas outfit!

This picture was taken December 5, his one-month "birthday."

Obligatory (nearly) naked baby picture. He's showing off his chlorine and chemical free diapers!

Super happy baby! We get lots of smiles like this, but manage to capture few on camera. Josh got this one on Wednesday.

Tweak Wishes You a Merry Christmas

And a happy new year!

One Month

Ridley is one month old today! He is the sweetest little boy I could have ever wished for, and pretty damn cute too! He's starting to be more vocal - mostly throaty noises, but some pretty sweet coos and squeals too. 

We started using his bathtub last night. Up to this point we've been giving him sponge baths - initially because he still had an umbilical cord stump, and then because I was nervous to try out the tub for the first time. He liked it better than the sponge baths, but he still wasn't sure about it. As usual, the part he seemed to enjoy most was being wrapped in his towel afterward, then getting dressed in his warm fleece sleeper.

This week we spent two evenings decorating for Christmas. The first was Sunday night at our place. Jeff, Diane, Heidi and Stacey all came over to help us set up and decorate Ridley's first Christmas tree! Josh made dinner for everyone too - tomato soup and potato cheese soup (my favorite!). The tree turned out beautifully, and, just like last year, Tweak and Gilmour think it's a tree full of new kittie toys! We make sure to put any ornaments of significance out of their reach. 

Wednesday evening Josh, Ridley and I went to Stillwater to help Jeff and Diane with their Christmas decorating. Josh helped Diane hang up the garlands she made, which turned out beautifully - as they do every year.  We had lasagna for dinner, then watched the Charlie Brown Christmas movie. 

Wednesday was also Ridley's first trip to the mall - and not just any mall. We went to the Mall of America to do some Christmas shopping. We brought the stroller along and Ridley slept through the majority of our shopping. Lara was working, so we stopped in a Martin and Osa to visit her. Josh had a couple questions about his iPod, so while he went in the Apple store, Ridley and I took a break from being on our feet and Ridley drank part of a bottle.

This upcoming Sunday Ridley is going to his first birthday party! My cousin's daughter, Inez, is one year old today, so Ridley and I will be headed to cousin Caitie and Nick's house to celebrate. We are very excited. Happy birthday, Inez!!

A Very Overdue Update

It's hard to believe, but little Ridley is already three and a half weeks old. He is doing wonderfully and is an incredibly sweet, happy little boy. Most nights he sleeps at least one three and a half to five hour chunk, which never fails to surprise (and delight) me. Last night was a little rough - he was much more awake and fussy than normal, but nights like that are rare for him, so I can't complain. I think he was just a little overwhelmed from all the Thanksgiving activities in the past few days!

Thanksgiving is kind of an extended holiday for our little family. It starts the Saturday before Thanksgiving when all the Hollands head up to Grandma Holland's house in Amery, Wisconsin for their big family get-together. Ridley got to meet all Josh's aunts, uncles and cousins - and Grandma Holland got to meet her first great-grandchild! 

Holiday celebrations continued for us on Wednesday evening when Josh, Ridley and I all went out to Stillwater so Ridley could meet his uncle Robin, who came home from Washington DC for Thanksgiving. I don't think I've ever seen my brother hold a baby that young before, but he did great. And Nora came home from Chicago too! I've been looking forward to seeing them for months now, so Wednesday was a very exciting day for me too.

On Thursday, we headed back out to Stillwater for a Thanksgiving meal with the Cutler family. One of my closest friends from college, Lara, joined our family this year for Thanksgiving ham (yeah, we do ham instead of turkey. and it's delicious), and we were all thrilled to have her there! 

From my dad's house, we went to Josh's parents for Thanksgiving dinner, and then spent the rest of the evening there relaxing and watching Get Smart. Hilarious movie.

Friday was Reid family Thanksgiving (my mom's family). We don't see my mom and her family very often, so it's always exciting when we do. My grandparents weren't able to come this year, but Ridley should get to meet his great-grandma and grandpa Reid at Christmas.

Ridley did manage to wear his "little turkey" outfit three days (Saturday, Thursday and Friday), although he did get it dirty almost right away at the Cutler family gathering, so it didn't last long there. 

Tomorrow night we're going to set up our Christmas tree - I'm excited to see what Ridley thinks. I know he's too young to care too much, but I think he might enjoy watching the multi-colored lights. I'm also curious to see how Gilmour and Tweak take to it this year. Last year they both loved sleeping under the tree, and they thought that all the ornaments were new kittens toys (thus, the ornaments slowly migrated out of their reach over the course of the Christmas season). 

Bath time!

After Josh left for work this morning, Ridley and I decided it was
time for a bath. Don't let the calm face in the picture fool you - he
hated it! But despite his fussing, he actually handled it very well
and now he's clean, dressed and happily napping in his swing.

"I Didn't Realize That Babies Come With Hats"

Ridley Dexter Holland
Born: 11-5-08 8:23 p.m.
Weight: 9 lbs, 0 oz
Length: 22 inches

More details to follow when I'm not half asleep!

Oh, Sleepy Sundays

Gilmour, Tweak and I all thought the best way to deal with the snow
flurries this afternoon was to deny their existence and sleep through
them.

We have five more days to go until our due date, and at least for me,
it hasn't really set in how close that is. We're both really excited
to meet this little one though! The baby's bedroom is all set up and I
have two bags packed and ready to go to the hospital (one for Josh and
I, the other for the baby). I installed one of our carseat bases in my
car already and it'll only take a few minutes to install the second
base into Josh's backseat. Our cats are now (mostly) trained to stay
off all baby furniture, though they do like to test us sometimes on
the pack and play. There's a little hippopotomus toy hanging on the
canopy that Tweak likes to steal. But I'm quick with the squirt
bottle, and they know what they're doing is wrong (kittens make very
cute guilty faces).

Everything is ready - just a few more days to go!!

I did wake up this morning feeling congested and achy. The aches are
at least somewhat pregnancy related, but I really hope I'm not getting
a cold. I need the little energy I have these days to deliver a baby!!
Looks like the couch and I will sharing even more time together....

I do only have to work half days now though, so that is really nice.
My last full day was Wednesday, and I felt so much better being able
to come home and rest Thursday and Friday. Yeah, it's getting boring
spending so much time off my feet, but the difference in how I feel is
so huge that it makes the boredom completely worthwhile.

Josh and I did take advantage of our joint afternoon off on Thursday
to go see "Body of Lies" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.
We both really enjoyed it (and highly recommend it).

Happy Halloween

Stacey and I as Sarah Palin and daughter Bristol.

For Robin and Nora

Ok, so it's not just for Robin and Nora, but I have been promising them new pictures for quite a while. Apologies for the quality - the CD I burned from Windows Vista doesn't play well with our iMac, so I took pictures using the built-in camera on the computer. Lighting wasn't great either, but you get the idea :)

<--- This is me today. My hair is wet. I'm watching The Office (hilarious!). I'm tired. But tomorrow is Friday!! I only have three full days of work left (and eight half days). 

Things I am looking forward to (in the two and a half weeks before my due date):

1. One of my closest friends, Stefany, who I met two years ago at Wells Fargo, is starting work at USB on Monday - in my department!

2. Ultrasound on Monday! (For anyone counting, this would be number 5). Just a general follow-up, but I get to see Webby!!

3. Halloween party next Friday! Stacy and I have the greatest costumes EVER and I will be sure to get pictures :) Also looking forward to hair dyeing with Stacey on Wednesday :) 

4. 30 Rock Season 3 premieres October 30. Tina Fey is a genius!

5. Any chance I can get at a good night's sleep!

<---- This is also me tonight. Headless, but slightly better view of my belly. Right after the picture was taken, Webby started bouncing around.

Robin and Nora, I hope these pictures are better than none at all. We can't wait to see you guys at Thanksgiving!! 

Everyone else, thanks for reading, and I'll try to update a few more times before the little one comes, and then, of course, often afterward, though I hope you'll all get to come see Webby in person too!!

Smarty Cat

Tweak likes to read pregnancy books during his free time on Saturday
mornings.

One Day More

As of tomorrow, we are officially full term, which basically means
that if we went into labor, they wouldn't stop us. Don't start calling
us every day to see if we've had the baby yet though. Since it's our
first, it is much more likely that the little one will be late than
early. So it'll still probably be at least another three weeks.

Doctor's appointments are officially weekly events now. We had an
ultrasound last Monday (October 6 - all fluid levels and all checked
out just fine), and we'll be in for a regular check up on Oct 13
(Josh's birthday!). Then another ultrasound Oct 20 and, as far as we
know, regular appointments every week after that until we have the baby!

I spent last Sunday and several evenings this week hard at work on the
nursery. I washed all our baby clothes, sheets, towels, washcloths and
blankets - three large loads of laundry all together! But now it's all
clean and put away. I still have a pack and play and a swing to put
together, otherwise all that's left is organizing some little things
and packing our bags for the hospital.

Gilmour and Tweak are very interested in our changing table. They seem
to think it would be better suited to be a kitten nap spot. Silly boys.

Otherwise, all is well with Josh and I. Punch keeps Josh busy and
smelling deliciously of pizza. My already light workload at the bank
is dwindling even more as we prepare for my leave, so please email me!
It keeps me entertained.

Stick to the Status Quo

Our ultrasound on Tuesday went very well! Our little one is in the 

48th percentile for size, so little Webby is actually just slightly 

above average. They estimate the current weight to be 5 pounds, 7 

ounces, which is exactly what it should be at 34 weeks!

Webby definitely looks like a baby now - we could see little chubby 

cheeks and little baby fists punching around.

To get the right angles to measure the baby via ultrasound, I had to 

lie on my back, which causes the baby to rest on my major blood veins, 

reducing circulation to important parts of my body. So I nearly passed 

out during the ultrasound, but the doctor had me roll onto my side and 

got me some juice and I felt better.

She did notice that my amniotic fluid levels were slightly above 

normal, so we are having another ultrasound on October 6 to just 

follow-up and check in on everything.

Starting the week of Oct 6, we will be at the doctor's office on a 

weekly basis until the baby is here. It's getting so close!

And for those of you wondering, no we still do not know if Webby is a 

boy or a girl. Even our doctor doesn't know :)

34 Week Picture

And if this works at all, it's sure to be sideways... But that's me on
Saturday, holding Stefany's daughter Laila. Check out my new glasses
too!

Fun with Numbers

SIX: Weeks left until our due date (and some minor event in American politics). Also, the number of days until I will be contacting our short-term disability group to set up my maternity leave. 

FIVE: The baby's current approximate weight (in pounds).

FOUR-to-one: the ratio of males to females in our house if the baby is a boy (including the cats). I may be severely outnumbered.

THREE: Weeks until we are considered full-term (37 weeks), and the doctors would not try to stop labor if it started.

TWO: Number of hearts currently beating in my body.

ONE: Little baby we can't wait to meet!

Time seems to be passing much more quickly now. We have our ultrasound this afternoon!

I'm starting to think about things like packing, making lists of who to call when the baby comes, and how to organize the nursery. I plan to spend the first weekend in October accomplishing all those things - as well as doing all the baby's laundry - crib sheets, blankets, clothes, socks, and hats!

I have a picture taken Saturday that I will try to post, but it's been giving me some problems! 

You say goodbye [summer], I say hello [fall]

The baby and I had our 32-week check in with our doctor yesterday. I managed to gain five pounds in the last two weeks, and unfortunately I don't think I can attribute much of that to the little one (although I'm sure I can blame at least half of it on the enormous Lake Elmo Inn brunch I had with my Cutler family over Labor Day weekend).

Mostly things looked good all around, but my uterus is measuring a little smaller than it should be at this point, so at our next appointment my doctor is going to do an ultrasound to check on the little one and make sure all is well. She said it's most likely that we just have a slightly smaller than average baby (which I am ok with!), but it's better for us to just double check on everything. So two weeks from today (Sept. 23), we will get a third chance to see the our little one via ultrasound. And no, we still will not be finding out if it's a boy or a girl, so you all can wait another eight weeks to find out too!

Just think, within a few days of each other (or the same exact day if my prediction is true), you'll not only get to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl, but you'll also find out who the next President of the United States is!! (I think the former is more exciting, although the latter probably will have better press coverage.)

My doctor also told me that it's time for me to start to slow down a bit more and try to take it easy. She also told me to get more sleep and not to feel guilty about watching an extra movie or two. My hips and back are starting to become more painful, especially when I haven't made sure to get enough rest the previous day. So, anyone who's interested in some TV/Movie marathons, let me know (especially if you want to sit and watch The West Wing and cross stitch - you know who you are, Stacey). If anyone wants to go for a brisk jog, enjoy yourself. I'll be curled under a blanket with a cup of apple cider watching TV with my kitties.

Silly pictures

Photo booth pictures - just for fun*

*And for Stef, who tells me to update more often

Two months..

We've gone from counting down from nine months to counting down from nine weeks. Our due date is exactly two months from today and we are ever more excited! 

August was a busy month with multiple doctor's appointments, the end of childbirth prep classes, visits from out of town family and friends, not to mention our usual work schedules. I can't believe the summer passed so quickly, but I'm looking forward to fall. I am definitely ready for less heat and humidity - I know Josh is too. And after today, the State Fair traffic/parking will be out of our neighborhood!

I spent a good portion of Thursday morning at work reviewing the company's policies on maternity leave and talking to our HR generalist to get details figured out. My last day at work will be Oct. 31 - Happy Halloween to me!! The bank gives eight weeks of maternity leave from the baby's birthdate, so I'll be on leave through the holiday season, which will be nice - I may even take an extra week of leave to get through the new year, if necessary (they'll pull from sick and vacation time). I'll also only be working half days the final week of October and taking several other half days or vacation days in the meantime. I have to use my remaining vacation before I go on leave or else I lose it at the end of the year. But I am definitely ok with some extra time off!

Our remaining weekends and evenings are starting to fill rapidly - in two weeks Punch will be opening their new restaurant on Grand Ave, so we're looking forward to going to the opening celebration of that. We have many family and friends with birthdays - Vickie's good friends Lara and Leann, Vickie's dad (Jeff), Vickie's brother (Robin), Josh, and Josh's friend Jake. We'll have doctor's appointments every other week of September and every week of October. 

Then once November hits it'll just be a waiting game. We do have two family birthdays in early November that the baby could potentially share a birthday with - Vickie's step-sister Char on Nov 6 and Vickie's mom on Nov 11. Then there's a relatively minor political event on Nov 4... 

I'll try to update more frequently in the coming months as there should be more to report :)

28 Weeks Later....

We're officially into our third trimester now, and our due date seems simultaneously a long way off and rapidly approaching!

There's a lot to be done before November still, and August seems to be going by so quickly - the State Fair begins next weeks already! Where did summer go??

Tonight will be the last night of childbirth prep class. We'll be talking about what happens during our two-day stay at Lakeview Hospital (4 days if we end up having a c-section). (We hope that many of you will come visit!). We'll also be learning basic baby care skills tonight (things like swaddling and bathing), so we'll have plenty of time to practice them on Tweak.

This is what Tweak thinks of that idea:



(and for those of you who know our cat, yes, that is him, just when he weighed 3 pounds instead of 13)

26 weeks: Little babies, big money

According to one of my pregnancy books, a fetus delivered at 26 weeks has about an 80 percent chance of survival. Pretty impressive considering full term* is still 11 weeks away, and the due date is still 14 weeks.

A low-end estimate of the cost for the neo-natal care required to keep the baby alive: $100,000.00.

Needless to say, as excited as I am to have this baby, I am more than happy to wait another 14 weeks.


*A pregnancy is considered full term at 37 weeks because all the baby's body systems are fully developed. So, in most cases, if mom goes into labor, the hospital staff isn't going to stop it.

A hero for the baby?

There's really isn't a lot of change between being 24 weeks pregnant and 25 weeks. For me, anyway. For the baby, every day makes a difference in the development of all his or her little bodily system development, and every day brings him/her closer to being ready to be here.

For me, on the other hand, it's another week of heartburn and getting kicked. I don't mind the kicks, but the heartburn is getting a little old. (Tums are my favorite thing EVER). The kicks are reaching new heights this week though - I have now been kicked in the ribs. I do believe that our young one already has a hero:




(for those unfamiliar, that would be soccer star David Beckham).

Otherwise, all is good with Josh and I (and the kittens too of course!).

Congratulations to our friends Steve and Stefany, whose little girl was born this morning!

24 (No Jack Bauer, sorry!)

Yes, we are now 24 weeks along! Only 16 weeks to go until our due date!

The baby and I went to our 24-week check-up on Monday. All is well: strong heartbeat for the baby, and a rise in my blood pressure. That's a good thing though because it puts my blood pressure into the "normal" range. We have four more weeks until our next visit, but after that we'll be visiting the doctor a bit more frequently.

Monday was also the second night of childbirth prep class. While the first week was full of talking and videos, for the second class we got to spend some time practicing relaxation techniques, including massage and breathing exercises. We also got to sample some of the aromatherapy lotions Lakeview offers.

Yes, our hospital offers aromatherapy as an option to laboring moms. They also encourage hydrotherapy (shower/bathtub), use of yoga balls, walking, music, and massage (among other things) for pain and labor management. Don't worry - they have epidurals and other drugs too!

As many have requested... here are some pictures of my belly and the baby. The ultrasound pictures are from June 11, so we were 19 weeks along then.

This is me on Monday (so it's very recent!):




Here is a profile picture of the baby (sorry it's sideways! I don't know how to change it!):


And here is one of his (or her) hand: