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!

Preggo Photos

We got a recommendation from our friend Jasmine for a wonderful photographer who is just getting her business started! She is a wonderful photographer, with very reasonable prices, and a joy to work with! So if you need a professional photographer for anything check out Summer Winship at www.summerwinship.com ! Here are a few of my favorites from the day....

Rounding third...heading home...

At my 32 week check-up last week, my midwife said "well, you're almost there! you've officially hit the homestretch!" So here we are, in 7 weeks (give or take a few) we will offically become parents and have a new member in the family! Everything continues to check out great with Baby Ritger. I was measuring big at my last few appointments, but as they predicted, my rate of growth has slowed towards the end, and I am now right on track for an on-time delivery. Still no complaints-no swelling, no back pain, no heartburn, no difficulty sleeping, no stretch marks, -I seriously have no idea what pregnant women are complaining about all the time. The baby moves, nudges, pushes, kicks, punches, pokes at my internal organs all day long, it is the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced. I even get sad thinking that I won't feel the baby moving in just a few weeks! I do get tired after a long 10 hour day at work, but those days are numbered! I recently accepted a transfer position to the hospital to work in acute rehab. I am THRILLED as this is what I have always loved within my field, and I have waited for 2 years for a position to open. This opportunity came at the perfect time for us, as I always say, it always works out in the end!

Here I am at 32 weeks....

Johnny and I recently "graduated" from childbirth class. We got a diploma as you can see, so I guess this means I should feel ready for labor and delivery? Can't say that I'll ever feel ready for that, but I refuse to listen to everyone's horror stories about their 83 hour labors, because honestly, I don't believe them. I'm going in with a completely open mind, educated about what I want, and fully aware that it will not be any walk in the park...Johnny survived the videos of childbirth, and feels confident that he is ready for the delivery room! Can't wait to meet the little one!

This weekend was literally "labor" day weekend in our house. Johnny tirelessly worked for 3 days straight putting up walls for the baby's room! I am absolutely blown away at his work-he always amazes me at his ability to figure out projects, and execute like a professional! The rooms are all framed now, and we just started putting up the drywall. In 3 days time our house went from a 2 bedroom to a 3 bedroom-Johnny can just feel his home value rising. The ongoing joke in our house is always "can you smell the sweat equity yet?" "yeah, and it smells like body odor"

While Johnny worked on the construction, I assembled all sorts of bouncy seats, diaper genies, baby monitors, strollers, etc. The crib is set up and ready for baby. After our shower at home and then a surprise shower at work for me last week, we have pretty much everything we could ever need at this point. We have been so fortunate to have so many generous people in our lives-we can't thank everyone enough (but I am still working on all those thank you notes, so don't worry, they are on their way!)

Fully Equipped

This past weekend was our couple's baby shower thrown by the moms and my wonderful, and amazing friend Becky who went above and beyond to make the whole event amazing for us! We can't thank them enough!! We had an absolutely beautiful, unseasonably unhumid day for the event-which was lucky since we had 50 people in attendance! It was amazing to see how many wonderful friends we have that will come out to celebrate this exciting time in our life with us. Baby Ritger is absolutely spoiled rotten already!! Our house now looks like an aisle in Babies R Us, and I'm just not quite sure where all of this stuff is going to fit in our little house.

Some pictures from the day....

Handmade afghan from Great Grandma Reba!
The college roomies together again!
Snuggle suit from Great Auntie Sue
It's Carter meeting his auntie Kim for the first time!

Question of the Week

For week 3 in the series...

Q: Have you had any strange food cravings/aversions while being pregnant?

A: I have not had any aversions while pregnant, this might have something to do with the fact that I did not have any morning sickness either. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I've been able to keep up my normal appetite throughout the pregnancy because I just love food way too much! I also wouldn't say that I've had any strange cravings either. Nothing that I have consistently craved throughout the pregnancy. There are times when something sounds really good (typically something sweet), but that isn't really any different from before pregnancy.

However, the other day someone asked me what I had been craving and Johnny overheard me saying "nothing really", then he told me to go look in our freezer and rethink my answer....

I took a look and this is what I found...

So maybe I've been having some hankerings for ice cream lately......

Welcome to my nest

In the past few weeks I have noticed a huge increase in nesting activities. I've been out at garage sales and clearance racks collecting books, toys, nursery decor, blankets, burp cloths, and adorable tiny clothing. It feels like a throwback to my doll-playing days as I fold up tiny little t-shirts, socks, and onesies. Because my nest is being built as we speak, I'm having to organize around my nest (which is getting increasingly difficult as I am running out of room). But have no fear! Hubby is underneath the house at this moment blowtorching in the middle of a rainstorm! The pressure is officially on.

Things have pretty much become all about the baby in our lives now. We have started our weekly childbirth classes, which feel straight out of a movie. The kind of

wacky lamaze instructor who guides all the eager first time couples through the birthing process using all sorts of diagrams and models of the female anatomy. Our class is even complete with the token class clown husband who snickers and makes a joke everytime she mentions the vagina or cervix. (I'm just glad this is not my husband)

We did our pregnancy pictures today with a wonderful photographer referred to us by our friend Jasmine. Next weekend is our couple's shower, we are so excited to have everyone over to our house for the first time. I will post pictures as soon as we get them!

I can't wait to put these on my little one!

29 weeks! I just keep getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger....

Question of the Week

I think I've been asked this question at least 30 times over the weekend. Every conversation plays out as follows....

Q: Is it a boy or a girl?

A: We don't know, we want to be surprised!

Q: Do you have any feeling about what it is?

A: I'm not really sure. From the start I've just had this gut feeling that it is a boy, but that is probably because I have always pictured us with a house full of boys running around all muddy all the time with unexplained bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Then another part of me thinks that it is a girl just because I've thought boy all along. I keep having dream

s that I've had the baby, but no one will tell me if it's a boy or a girl! So, I guess you could say I really have no idea, but we have absolutely no preference either way. I will say that I get a lot more "you're carrying a boy" from everyone who feels the need to comment on the size and shape of my belly :) That might also be what's driving my instincts to say boy. who knows? I guess we'll just have to wait!

Q: Do you have names picked out?

A: We do have names, but nothing is certain until I'm holding the little one in my arms. I'm a firm believer that I must meet the baby first before naming them. Some people have heard our name options, but for the most part we're staying quiet until the name is official because we won't know for sure until the baby has arrived!

And just because I don't want to post without a picture.....

My sweet Ruby's newest favorite spot-the changing table. I'm starting to think we might have some jealously issues when the baby arrives.....