36 Weeks! Only 4 weeks to go!!! :)

Just a quick update...we had our 36 week appointment today. :) Everything still looks great with both Jax and I. :) My blood pressure was perfect, my belly measured at 37 weeks (a little ahead still), and his heartbeat was strong and steady! Dr. Pew also did an "internal" exam today and it looks like I am about 50% effaced and a half centimeter dilated which is right on track for 36 weeks. I have had two different bouts of uncomfortable cramping (that last about an hour) but she is also said that it is completely normal and that it is just my uterus getting ready to do it's thing. :)

So...it looks like everything is still right on track. :) I would love for Jax to come a little early as I am starting to get uncomfortable and sleeping is just not happening these days but it is out of my hands at this point! Plus, Scott would probably be a nervous wreck...he is being so funny about having him stay inside of me until at least his due date...oh...and he would love for Jax to be about 10 pounds so that he "knows" that he is healthy! I keep reminding him that he isn't the one that has to give birth to our little one so I would greatly appreciate him not wishing a 10 pound baby upon us! :)

I had to get this on video!!!

Scott always wonders why I have such a hard time sleeping at night...well...this is why!!! :) Right when I lay down to go to bed, baby Jax thinks it's playtime! So...for your viewing pleasure! :)

I also had my 34 week appointment today...everything is going really well so far. :) My blood pressure was perfect, my belly measurement was right at 34 weeks, his heartbeat was steady and strong, and I have now gained a total of 24 pounds. He is also still head down which is right where he should be at this point! :)

Belly Pics!

Ris at 33 weeks!

Scott being a goof...what's new! :)

More Pictures!

I found some more good pictures on the cd we received...so here ya go! :)

Meet Mr. Chubby Cheeks! :)

Him smiling (look where the bright spot is, those are his little lips)....so cute!

This is his little foot...you can see his arm/hand grabbing his toes!

Meet Baby Jax!

Well, after THREE, yes THREE attempts at our 3d ultrasound...here is what we ended up with. I even took out ultrasound tech flowers today for being so patient with us (well, him)!!!

We have learned a couple things about our little guy so far: 1. He is very stubborn 2. He is a little chunkster! 3. He LOVES to play with his toes!!! 4. He likes to wave his hands in front of his face. :)

So...everyone...meet Baby Jax!

Here is a profile shot...along with his foot (on the left side of the picture) and his arm/hand (on the right side of the picture). He has very CHUBBY little cheeks! :)

Another profile shot, this one you can see his shoulder/arm as well. :)

His little leg/foot and his hand! So cute! :)

His entire leg and foot! :)

First attempt at a 3D ultrasound...

I have a little TURKEY inside of me!!! :(

We had a 3D ultrasound this past Saturday that Scott and I have been soooo excited for! For those that don't know what it is, it's an ultrasound that allows you to pretty much see your baby on the inside...baby Reetz had other plans though. The ENTIRE ultrasound (45 minutes) he was playing with his toes right in front of his face so we were not able to see him at all! :( We tried everything to get him to move into a different position...the tech had me eat candy, drink apple juice, lay on my side, get up and walk around...but NOTHING would get him to stop playing with his feet! :( While that is very cute, Mommy really wanted to see his little face. The tech did say that she could tell that he has a little "button nose" and "chubby cheeks". :) We also got many views of his little butt and "goods" thanks to the position he was in...he is most definitely a little boy who is very proud to show off his male anatomy! :)

The tech is letting us come back this Saturday at 10am so please hope that our little guy is willing to show us his face this time...Mommy and Daddy are so anxious to see what he looks like! :) I am hoping that next weekend I will have some pictures to post of him!

The nursery is coming together! :)

Thanks to Scotty (and Steven!) the nursery is starting to come together! :) So far we have painted, put in an awesome closet organization system, and built the crib and changing station! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how everything is coming together! :) Here are some pics...we still have some decorating to do but I am very excited about our progress so far!

His Crib. :)

His Fire Truck Bedding! I LOVE it! :)

His Changing Station and Hamper

Closet (Scotty built all of this!)

Closet...and yep, he is SPOILED thanks to 1st time grandparents on ALL sides! :) We plan on adding one more row for clothes! :)

Oh...and as of tomorrow, I only have 10 WEEKS left!!! YAY!! :)

My current stats are:
+Weight Gained: 14 pounds (which my doctor said is perfect!)
+Belly Measurment: at my last appt it was 29 cm from the top to the bottom of my baby bump...also perfect...well, actually a little ahead of the schedule but I think that this little boy is going to be a BIG baby!
+I passed my Gestional Diabetes test (thank God!)...if I didn't pass I would have had to to the three hour test which consists of FOUR blood draws within 3 hours...my worst nightmare!
+Baby Reetz is already head down which is great! :)
+His heart rate is still between 147-150...very steady and healthy! :)

An amazing gift from Scott's Uncle Jerry...

We received the most beautiful baby rattle I have ever seen at our shower in Burlington. Scott's Uncle Jerry made us a wooden baby rattle that is simply amazing! I cannot believe the time and effort he put into it (he said it took about 10 hours to make!). Anyway, I wanted to share it with everyone because it is so unique and pretty...it is something that our little boy will LOVE and we will hold onto forever! A huge thank you to Jerry for making this amazing and incredibly thoughtful gift...

Our 1st Baby Shower! :)

We had our first baby shower this past weekend in Burlington! :) Maree, Lori, Tina, and Scott's mom (soon-to-be GRANDMA!) hosted the party...and I must say they did an amazing job! The food and cake were yummy, the games were fun, and we received many awesome gifts from Scott's mom's side of the family! :)

One of the funny games the guys had to play was putting a cloth diaper on a teddy bear...it was really entertaining to see them hard at work! :) Here are some pics from it:

Grandpa Ray wrapping the ENTIRE teddy bear in the diaper...what was he thinking???!!! :)

Wader's concentrating REALLY hard! :)

And yep, Scotty proved that he is more than qualified to change dirty diapers!!!

Thank you to all that made our first shower a wonderful event! We are so lucky and fortunate to have such wonderful family on all sides! :) Baby Reetz is going to be one spoiled little boy! :)

The Name Debate...!!!

How do you pick a name for your child???!!! It is such a hard decision to make! From the beginning, we have had two front-runners....

Jaxson Tyler (we would call him JT)
Andrew (Drew) William

It's really important to me to honor my Dad in our son's name...both of the above do so in different ways. :)

We love the name Jaxson (which btw...Scott has been calling him Jax for a couple of weeks now but won't actually give me a yes/no if that will be his name or not!). My Dad LOVED Jax Beach, FL...it is where he moved back to after leaving Oregon. He loved being close to his family there, loved the beaches, loved the sun, the great Southern food, the country club that he grew up on/worked at, etc. It is also where we spread part of his ashes, he loved being near/in the water so it just felt right to let him go at one of his favorite surfing spots there. Naming our first son after the place that he loved so much would also be a way (in my mind) to continue honoring him and the man he was...an amazing person and dad.



Jaxson (well, Jackson) is also my Grandpa's middle name...he too is a wonderful man with a heart of gold...so I also love the ties that we have there. :)



With Andrew William...well, we both just like Drew for a name and William was my Dad's formal name. :)

It's such a hard decision...I guess we may have to wait until he is born to decide if he looks like a JT or Drew to us. :) Or...I guess there is always the possibility of us coming up with another name before then too!!! AHHH!!!

The world of Baby Reetz at 25 weeks!

Here's what going on with Baby Reetz at 25 weeks!

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight is about a pound and a half and he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, he wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

25 Week Appointment Update!

I had my 25 week appointment yesterday! :) All is well with our baby boy! His heartbeat was going strong at 147 bpm and he is measuring (well, I guess I am measuring) right on time! My next appointment is at the end of October...and then after that one, I start going every TWO weeks instead of once a month!!!

I have been experiencing some major water retention lately which is very annoying. By the end of the day, it looks like I do not have ankles anymore! :( My doctor said that it is completely normal and to simply watch my salt intake, drink plenty of water, and make sure I put my feet up for at least a couple hours a day. Fun, fun... :)

On an exciting note...Scott and I have been feeling him a TON lately! I think he is practicing to be a soccer player or football kicker! He thinks it is pretty funny to wake me up every morning around 5:30-6:00am tossing/turning and kicking! I actually woke Scotty up the other morning to feel him because there is no way I could have slept through any of it!!! He is also very active after I eat/drink anything and right when I am trying to go to bed. :) I love being able to feel him...it really is an amazing thing!

That's it for now! Thank you for the continued well-wishes. :)

-Ris and Scotty

My first big BABY BOY purchase! :)

I have been keeping my eye on a bedding set for a couple months now! Last night I got the itch to finally order it! :)

It is really important to me that our little one knows all about his Grandpa Bill. I want to honor my Dad by decorating the nursery in a Fire Fighter theme. :) Brandon currently has Dad's actual fire helmet and we also have an awesome picture of my Dad fighting a huge fire in which you can see B. Gammie on the back of his jacket. My plan is to hang both of these items on one of the walls. :) The bedding I found is very simple but super cute...I want our son to know that his Grandpa Bill was a true hero and that he saved many lives throughout his years as a fire fighter...

Here is the bedding that I ordered! I am so excited to start decorating our son's room!!!

Don't tell my son that I showed these to you! :)

Proof that he is a little boy! :)

And a profile shot. :)

His heartbeat was 157 today. :) Nice and strong!

It's a....

HEALTHY BABY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited and happy that everything looks great and that we have a son on the way! :)

Oh...and they moved my due date up to January 13th!

I will post pictures later...

20 Weeks Today!

We hit the 20 week mark today! :) Baby Reetz is now 6.5 inches long and weights around 10.6 ounces! Here is a picture of what a baby at 20 weeks looks like in the womb! :)

The BIG ultrasound is THIS Wednesday 9/3 at 2:30pm!

Our BIG ultrasound is this Wednesday at 2:30pm! I remember setting the appointment 5 weeks ago feeling like September 3rd was FOREVER away! I can't believe it is almost here! :) I am so excited to find out (for sure) what we are having...I still think it's a boy but lately Scott has been thinking it's a girl! I am also really excited to see our little one again on the ultrasound screen...seeing him/her move around inside is the most amazing thing in the entire world!

I will upate everyone as soon as I can on Wednesday! :)

Oh...and please say a prayer that he/she doesn't have their legs crossed...mama is going to be really upset if he/she is being too shy to show us the "goods"! :)

Who will I look like??? :)

I thought it would be fun for everyone to see what Scotty and I looked like as little ones. :) So...here ya go! I wonder who our little one will look like? :)

Scott:

Scotty at 3 months...

How cute is he???!!!

Scott at 2 years...

And now...Ris:

Dad and Ris (at 2 years)

Playing Hide and Seek!

Baby Reetz has been quite the pain this week when it comes to finding his/her heartbeat on the doppler! I can usually find it within a minute or two but the past few days it takes Scotty and I at least five minutes to track it down! As soon as we start to hear it, baby Reetz moves to another side so that we can't hear it again! I think we have a little "turkey" in there!

I am so excited for our ultrasound next week! I am still thinking that we have a little boy growing inside of me but Scott has changed his mind and he now thinks we will find out it's a girl! Who knows...I hope our little one cooperates next week so we can find out what we are having! :)

Butterflies in my Stomach!

That is how I would describe the baby movement that I have been feeling the past week! :) I started feeling this last Thursday and now I notice it at least 3-4 times per day! It honestly does feel like I have a butterfly trying to fly around in my stomach...it is so strange...but so amazing!

Our next appointment is on September 3rd! In addition to making sure everything is great with the baby...we will also find out if we are having a boy or a girl! :) I am 99% sure that it is a boy (I have always had that feeling) so I guess the 3rd is when we will find out if "mother's intuition" is right!

YAY for Fetal Dopplers!!!

I finally gave in and purchased a fetal heart doppler! I ordered it last week and it arrived today! It took a little while for me to find our little ones heartbeat but once I did it was the most amazing thing! Baby Reetz's heart was going strong at 147 beats per minute! I called Scotty right away and let him listen...it is such an amazing sound!

We have another doctor's appointment tomorrow at 1:50pm. I am really excited for it because we will get to set the date for our "BIG" ultrasound where we get to find out if we are in fact having a little boy or a little girl. :)

BTW...we are 14 weeks 6 days pregnant today!

My first post!

Baby Reetz at 10w5d

I finally decided to start a blog! :) I figure this is the easiest way to keep friends and family updated on us and baby Reetz!





To bring you up to date...we are currently 12 weeks 6 days pregnant! We have had four ultrasounds so far and the baby looks great and is even measuring a few days ahead. Our last ultrasound was last Thursday, the baby had a strong heartbeat of 163 and was movin all around. :) Our due date is set for January 21, 2009.





The first few months were ok...other than being really tired and having ALL day sickness I feel pretty lucky that my symptoms weren't worse than they were. Now that I am nearing the end of the first trimester I am feeling pretty good! I am still super tired but I haven't thrown up or been nauseous for a few weeks now! YAY! :)