Long time coming...

So... since Riley is coming up on 6 months old, I figured that I should tell you all the story of when Riley arrived. Some stuff is a little bit fuzzy now, but usually Ryan remembers and will correct me.

Let's start with the Friday before... I go to the chiropractor and let him know that there is still no change. 39 weeks and no sign of labor any time soon. He adjusts my back and then goes on to do something else to open up my spine to help the epidural, just in case. However - he was CLEARLY not convinced that I would go in to labor soon, either, since he set up my next 3 appts for the next week. I went to work that afternoon and felt fine. That evening, Ryan and I took Jack & Benjamin to Vinny's. The waitress was shocked that I was due in just 6 days.

(Friday night after work and taking the boys to dinner... 39 weeks 1 day)

Saturday comes... Ryan and I went to Target to get a few random things. We decided that since my due date was that week, we should probably get all the loose ends tied up since it wouldn't be long until Riley arrived! Pam called that afternoon to see if we could babysit the boys... but we already had plans. Still feeling good. Did TONS of cleaning (not that you could tell because for some reason my house is more of a disaster after we go on a cleaning raid) and rearranged random nonsense. Why I didn't see this as a sign, I'm not sure.

Sunday morning... little bit of spotting. I was nervous at first, but also relieved. Finally... FINALLY something was happening! We head to church where I got of the, "You're STILL here?" and "You look ready to be done!" "No baby yet?" questions/comments. Yes ding dongs... I'm 9 months pregnant. I have this belly that reaches my knees, I'm huge. I was tempted to answer with responses such as, "Actually, she was born this week and wasn't really all that cute, so I put her back in to keep cooking. Hoping she comes out a bit cuter!" Seriously - never ask a pregnant woman those things. She's already well aware of them.

That afternoon our friend, Andy, calls us up and says that there are some cars he wants to go check out, did we want to go? YES! YES, I do! I was ready to walk around - maybe this kid would get the hint that in 4 days, it was eviction day. I just wanted to give her a friendly warning to start packing her bags. We went to 5 car lots and walked around - luckily they were all closed, so we got to walk a ton w/o being harassed. I talked to my mom for a while on the phone... asked if she wanted me to call when we were leaving for the hospital, got to the hospital, or after I was admitted. We joked that we both knew it wouldn't be necessary. We were all convinced that I'd be induced at 42 weeks. When we got home, I felt the urge to clean out our night stands and do ALL of the laundry in the house. Um hello nesting! I talked to my friend Amy at about 5:00 p.m. and told her that I kept getting these weird feelings and joked that maybe they were contractions, but probably not. I would CERTAINLY know if I was having contractions. Around 11 p.m., Ryan headed to bed. I played online and chatted w/ some friends on IM and on the message board. Around 2 a.m., I headed to bed.

I was just uncomfortable. I would doze for about 5 minutes and just kept waking up in discomfort. Nothing I could pinpoint, but it sucked. At 4 a.m., I'd already watched several shows and turned on a movie... I decided I'd get a nice hot bath to see if that would help. Well, while I was soaking in there I noticed something. This discomfort was coming and going... and there seemed to be a trend. Those weird feelings were still happening. I laid there thinking, "ok well I remember reading that if you think you're having contractions... get a hot bath. If they go away, not labor. If they keep coming, start timing them." So after a while, I got out and started timing them. Oh crap. They were lasting at least 1 minute and were about 4 - 5 minutes apart. Well there we go. I was in labor and didn't know it. I still wasn't convinced... but thought, "Well... I have all of this laundry going, I HAVE to finish it!" So instead of trying to get some sleep - I went on a rampage trying to finish it. Mind you... I didn't tell Ryan any of this. When he woke up at 7, he was confused as to why I was up. I told him that I thought that it was going to happen soon... so whatever big stuff he had at work, he needed to wrap up that afternoon. We went back and forth and I finally had him almost convinced that I'd be FINE to drive myself to my 40 week dr's appt that morning. And then the contractions got worse. I told him to be done by lunch... I finally conceded and said, "Fine. Call work and tell them you're coming to my appt, but you'll be in afterwards." (This was after my shower where the pain was bringing tears to my eyes - I didn't DARE tell him that!)

To be continued (time for the bedtime routine)...

Dear Riley. GO TO SLEEP.

I can hear that little girl in her bed playing. She fell asleep in the car and I guess she is under the impression that her 5 minute power nap is enough. Um. NO... that is NOT enough. Oh wait... after 30 minutes of talking/whining/laughing I think there is silence. That's my girl!

On Tuesday, we took Riley to LU's baseball game. It's fitting... her first LU football game was at 5 days old and her first LU baseball game was when she was 5 months (and some change) old. Here are a few of the shots... the ones in her carseat, she was watching Ryan make goofy faces!

On our way back to Lynchburg, Riley fell asleep while she was reading her book.

Hey, there's Dad. He's pretty funny.

Oh Dad! You crack me up! (while shoving her entire fist into her mouth!)Yea, I'm cool. What's it to ya?

So, what are we lookin' for Uncle Stephen?

Pray for Nate and Tricia!

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

Go check out that website to see what amazing miracles God is performing right now! Tricia needs your prayers right now... as do the dr's that are placing these new lungs in her body! Pray for peace for Nathan as I'm sure it'll be an insane few hrs during the surgery. I cannot imagine... but his faith has been obvious over the past few months that I have read about their journey. Pray for baby Gwyneth. She is too young to know what is going on right now... which is good! Just pray that she gets fatter so that she can get the heck out of the NICU!

And go register to be an organ donor!

Fun with Green Beans

I'll have pictures from D.C. when my in-laws email them... and Easter pictures when I steal them from my sister (although, there aren't too many of those.).

Quick update - Riley and I are staying with my parents this week! It's been amazing to be around so many people. I get lonely in Lynchburg and here is a nice escape. Although, I do miss Ryan something terrible. Only a couple of more days! I miss my house, but not so much Lynchburg.

Ryan's family came to D.C. to visit for Friday and Saturday and left around 10:15 on Sunday. It was great to see them! Stinks that they are so far away. Riley LOVES having all of the attention. She puts on a great show with her smiling and giggling!

Riley is a rolling fool lately. Three times in the last 24 hrs I've found her asleep on her tummy. However, if she rolls that way when she is awake - she gets PISSED. She'll lay there and play for a few minutes now and then wants someone to come and flip her back over. Sigh. What will I do with that silly girl! She's so fun and cute these days. Smiles real big whenever anybody says she is cute or pretty.

Tonight I was feeding her green beans in just a diaper and socks. She was laying in the crook of my leg and batting her arms all over the place. It was quite a site... oh and she was wearing no clothing because she peed on the bed AGAIN when I was changing her. She did it right after I said, "Riley... if you pee on the bed again, Noni is going to spank your butt." She laughed and peed.

and she rolls!

A video of Ri rolling. Exciting... I know.

and the camera has been found!

Last night I started tearing the house to shreds trying to find the dang camera. We even searched the car... in the rain! I finally found it... my coat was laying in the hall and it was in the pocket. Hm. Good place for it. NOT.

So today, Ryan went to Bobbi and David's wedding... Riri and I did not join him because well... let's evaluate this. 3 hr drive there. Wait around, keep her quiet during the ceremony, small reception (think appetizers), 3 hr drive home - with an almost 5 month old (yes, almost 5 months old, folks.). That didn't sound like fun to me... or Ryan... or Riley! I'm glad we stayed here... the weather was BEAUTIFUL! We went out front and just laid on the blanket and soaked up some rays! It was so wonderful! And here is Riri looking so cool!

"Um, Mom. Can I please have my sweet shades?"

Lookin' so fly w/ her shades!

and so the adventure continues

If I do not find this dag on camera, there will be big problems in this house tonight. BIG. I need new pictures of Riley. People like seeing this cute little girl. Currently... she just talked to herself for nearly 20 minutes in bed before she decided she would go to sleep. She sounded like she was having a great time.

A little update, sans pictures, on the Rooster. She has started rolling back to belly. Every.single.time. I put her down to play on her playmat, w/in 30 seconds (if that long) she has flipped herself over. Seriously kid, knock it off. Not funny. Then she gets all pissed off because she can't roll belly to back (because she is L A Z Y) and grunts or whines until I move her. Lucky for me, she hadn't tried these tricks in bed yet, so we were still getting 12 + hrs of sleep at night. And then rolls 4:30 this morning. I hear it... I knew what that sound meant. It was the grunts and whines of, "Um guys... I did that trick you love so much again. And... well... I'm stuck. AGAIN. Please. Somebody. HELLO? Can somebody PLEASE come and get me." So I go in and flip her over, give her a kiss and say, "Riley, it's ni-night time. Good night. I love you." As she laughs at me. LAUGHS. This is NOT hilarious. It is not hilarious to wake me up when you KNOW it'll take me at least an hour to go back to sleep!

She also has a jumperoo... she loves it. I think I might go and buy some batteries this weekend. As if this toy wasn't obnoxious enough... if you add batteries, it will light up and sing everytime they jump! So if you are every in the store and think that you want to get your child something you will hate and they will love, Fisher Price Jumperoo... Not only does she love it, she is too short for it. Big surprise, right? We have the game of Life under her feet so that she can touch and bounce.

In other news... my brother will be living with us. This isn't a permanent thing... just until the end of the semester. Sometimes things happen and plans change. Riley is pretty excited, she looooooves when her Uncle Stephen comes over! It'll be a little bit tight, but 2 months is no big deal!

I found a picture of her eating the side... it appears as if she has been swallowed by a tree frog.