Finally a nursery!

I thought I'd post a few pictures of the nursery now that it is ready for baby. We still have details left in the room-the trim and chair rail need to be put up, the closet door, and door frames need to be finished. I plan to hang some more art on the walls (including the customary baby's name over the crib once it has been determined!), and I'm still hunting for that perfect rug for the floor. However, it is now a room that we can bring baby home to and with a week to spare! Johnny has moved on to the bathroom and is getting ready to tile the floor. I've spent the weekend putting the finishing touches on everything, and I think we can officially say that we're ready!

Yes, I am still pregnant

Everyday I walk into work and I am greeted with a chorus of "you're still here!". There isn't anywhere I can go at this point where I can get away from talking about how enormous my belly has become. One of my favorite little ones at work said to me today, "WOW Miss Kim your belly is huge, it looks like you've been eating too many hamburgers!" My enormity doesn't even get past the 3 year olds anymore.

Everyone keeps asking when I am going to stop working, and honestly I plan to work as long as I can. Right now I'm scheduled to go out next Thursday, and I think all of my co-workers will breathe a sigh of relief that they will not be responsible for getting me to the hospital. I still feel surprisingly good, very tired, but that's about it. I'm more excited than anything-like a kid on Christmas Eve. I cannot wait to meet the baby and find out boy or girl! Talk about the best surprise ever! Johnny informed me tonight that my official due date, November 2nd, happens to be the full moon. Maybe just like his or her mama, baby will be right on time! I go tomorrow for my weekly check-up at the doctor-hopefully I'll get some news that things are moving along!

The nursery has finally become a nursery. The hardwoods went in this weekend, the curtains up, and the furniture is in the process of being moved in. All that is left in the nursery is the trim work that Johnny is sanding and painting right now! It has all come together perfectly, and I couldn't be any happier with the room!

38 weeks pregnant, just when you think you can't get any bigger...

The floors in progress....

Ta-da! We have walls, floors, and curtains (Thank you Grandma Kathy for the handmade valances!)

Johnny is in charge of communications once this show gets on the road...so hopefully you'll be hearing from him sooner rather than later!!

Marriage and Mud

Sorry for the delay in posts! September flew by, and here we are less than a month from Baby Ritger's arrival! Our big event recently was Susie (Johnny's sister) and Kevin's wedding up at Unicoi Lodge in Helen, Ga. It was a fantastic event that went off without a snag-minus the pouring rain on the day of the wedding, but that didn't seem to bother anyone. It was a great family reunion for the Ritger family and we had a great time seeing everyone and catching up on all the exciting events in everyone's lives! Here are a few pictures of the day....

The bride and groom looking fabulous

The bridesmaids-yes we wore white and the bride wore green-and yes I am now officially "sister-in-law of the century" for wearing a short white dress when I was 9 months pregnant. Can you say marshmallow?

The family portrait

Other than Susie's wedding, the nursery project has been full steam ahead! Johnny has worked every free second he has-minus the time out to get a tetanus shot after stepping on a nail :) We now have 4 walls in the nursery and spent the weekend mudding the drywall! Even I got involved in this one since it requires no heavy lifting, power tools, or inhaling toxic chemicals. We should be priming and painting by the end of the week, and putting down the hardwoods this weekend. Then we move in the furniture, and we'll have our baby a nursery!! We're almost there!

So here I am at 36 weeks, and no I am not having twins despite the number of comments I get suggesting that maybe there are two babies in there. It is also interesting to note that up until the past few weeks 99% of people looked at me and were convinced I was carrying a boy, now everyone looks at me and is convinced it is a girl, hmmmm. I now go to the doctor every week, and at my 36 week appointment I got the news that "the baby could come any time now". The baby is fully dropped and engaged in my pelvis and is ready to go! They guessed the baby was between 6 and 7 pounds already, and told me to expect an October baby! I've already got baby's first halloween costume picked out, so hopefully they are right! The last thing my midwife said to me was "I'll see you next week, if I don't see you in the hospital sooner! I immediately went home to pack my hospital bag and get the car seat installed in the car. We're almost there, and I get more excited everyday to meet Baby Ritger. I'm pretty much over being pregnant at this point, and would like my body and mobility back. It's funny how nature just gets you to a point where you'll do anything to not be pregnant anymore, and it kind of takes away all my fears about labor and delivery.

We're just hanging close to home, finishing up the nursery and anxiously waiting for those first labor pains to strike! We'll keep you posted!