Finally Friday

The last month has been pretty crazy with work and travel so I am so in need of a productive weekend here in ABQ! We have a Dr. Appt tomorrow morning and I can't wait to hear Avery's little heartbeat again = ) She has been incredibly active lately so we'll see if she squirms her way out of this one! I'm also getting some maternity photos done this Sunday...I figure I should get them in now before my expanding belly and I go into hiding! The rest of the weekend will be spent cleaning and preparing the house for all of our fabulous company coming into town next weekend! Amazing friends and family are throwing Travis and I a couple's shower next weekend to celebrate Avery in style! Hopefully we'll have some gorgeous weather for our out of towners coming in from Texas, California, Phoenix, and Boston! Can't wait = )

Surprise Guest

We had a surprise guest last night, Grampa Steve! He ended up coming into town last minute so we got in a little Steve time and Remi of course got in a fabulous morning walk with one of his favorite people = )

Avery Checklist Update:
We have some great recommendations on pediatricians...time to do some interviewing!
Time to formalize the infamous birth plan. I'm sure everything will go as planned...riiiiight.
Finalize and pay for our November classes on Baby Basics, Birth class, and Breastfeeding.
Research NM routine infant screenings - thanks Auntie Shae Shae.
And its officially time to start counting fetal kicks. Is this really necessary? I'm going to find out on Saturday at our Dr. appt...I can count 10 kicks in just minutes, no need to track for an hour or more! We have one active little girl = )

Tuesday, October 13th

Its a miracle! On Tuesday, October 13th, I did not have to take a 2 hour nap after work! I don't remember the last time I made it a week day without a required nap = ) I realized at 3pm that I not only wasn't tired but I had energy so I headed out to brave WalMart, Albertsons, and Hallmark. Hopefully this is only the beginning and today I will be able bypass nap time and get some house cleaning done!

I also had a fabulous Biggest Loser date at LeeAnn's house! There were a few too many tears this episode but they definitely got in some great workouts. LeeAnn said she'll be my Jillian in February = )

Clean Little Man

I bet you were hoping you could get a pre-bath, bath, and post-bath photo montage of Remi today! Our little puggle thoroughly enjoys his time at Doggie Day Care while we are out of town...but upon our return we always have one stinky dog! Remi even knows the bath is coming...he jumped into the bath tub when he realized what time it was = ) Maybe he even found his stench overwhelming!

Bridal Shower & Bean Town!

Travis and I had an amazing trip to Boston this past weekend! Bridal shower at the Ivy Restaurant downtown, walks through Boston Commons, Boston Gardens, and all of the beautiful colonial streets, all followed by more delicious food and fabulous company. Pictures above include a box of cannolis (my first cannoli ever and the verdict is DELICIOUS) - Alyson, myself, Denning, and Inge in line for pizza - Travis and I visiting Boston Gardens - Inge, Aly, and Denning sipping champagne at the beginning of Denning's Bridal Shower = )

Baby Belly - 29 Weeks

Avery is now the size of a Squash! Her energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath her skin. And since she's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. Time to prepare for more kicks and jabs to the ribs!

We forgot to take a baby belly picture in Boston so I will post a new one as soon as Travis gets home = )

Balloon Fiesta

This morning I heard tons of people standing outside which can only mean one thing...the hot air balloons had a successful morning! So I ran out in the front yard with my trusty camera and snapped two pictures before my dead battery screen flashed across my camera = ( I missed some great shots as the balloons then came even closer and several went directly over our house. Pretty amazing!

Time to charge the camera battery! Travis and I are off to Boston tomorrow to celebrate Denning and Tony's engagement = ) We'll have a fancy bridal shower, beautiful fall foliage, and some delicious Boston food to fill the weekend. I will definitely need my camera on its best behavior!

Rainy Morning

I don't think today will be much of a day for Balloon Fiesta! However I am enjoying the sound of rain outside my office window = ) I couldn't get a good pic yesterday but I had around 40 hot air balloons outside my window. Beautiful!

Our Restoration Hardware bedding and rug came in yesterday...ADORABLE!

Baby Belly - 28 Weeks

Our little Avery just keeps growing! According to the sonogram, she now weighs in at 3 lbs! Her lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.

Avery's 4D Sonogram!

Looks like she got her Mommy's lips!

More Avery close ups

Our little sleeping beauty!

Meet Avery Elizabeth!

Avery tried to sleep through the entire sonogram! We got some amazing shots and definitely some great footage that my brother will be downloading on youtube for us = ) We also learned that she already has a full head of hair, haha!

San Angelo Baby Shower

What a fantastic baby shower in San Angelo! Avery did quite well and I will definitely post a link for all of the pictures once we compile them from three cameras = ) Thank you so much to everyone who was a part of this special day! A few key pics above...the cutest gift of the day came from Avery's Papa Doc - a pink fly fishing vest! With the help of our LL Bean specialist (Auntie Shae Shae) and our embroidery specialist (Mom) Dad surprised me with this adorable vest...just getting Avery ready for Papa fishing trips down the road! A couple of our big game winners, Laren & Mary Sue with their prize of pickles and ice cream = ) And then a pic of the amazing gift from Auntie Shae and Uncle Mikey full of adorable onesies and personalized gifts. Above is a Trinity University onesie for Avery!

San Angelo Bound!

Travis and I are all packed for a whirlwind adventure in San Angelo this weekend! Little Remi has no idea that he has a date at Doggie Day Care all set = ) We'll be rolling into town around midnight but that won't slow down the festivities at all Saturday! First on the agenda is our 4D Sonogram...we get to see Avery's little face! I'll bring home many pictures to share! And then more pictures will follow b/c my Sister-in-law Staci and my Mom are hosting a San Angelo Baby Shower = ) I can't wait to see everyone and possibly bring home a few more treasures for Avery! And then third we'll be celebrating my little brother's 26th birthday! Now that is insane! Not that I want to own up to aging, but my 10 year High School Reunion is this year and had originally been scheduled for this weekend. Too bad it was moved to a weekend we couldn't make...this could have been the busiest Saturday ever!

And this deserves a post also...I played my last volleyball games of 2009 last night! My team at Charlie's Sandbox ended up winning the season!! I can now retire until I am cleared to play again hopefully next February = ) The Championship match actually went to three games which is a way more intense workout than this kid has gotten in a while! I am definitely waddling today from soreness! The big prize is a champion t-shirt so I asked if I could get an XL to fit me next month and an XXL to fit me my last month, haha. Ok, I really opted for a large since I'm sure I'll get back into that way before a medium!

The Check List

Getting a little more accomplished each day! Yesterday Travis and I purchased our glider for the nursery = ) We went with Dutailier...why not go with one of the best if we'll be spending as much time as we think in that chair! Hopefully it will look great in our nursery.

We also have my friend Thomas coming over today to check out the three small areas of the house we want to replace carpet with tile. This is definitely a 'must get done before baby or we'll never do it' kind of project! Can't wait to enter the world of tile...so many options I have a feeling Travis and I will be completely overwhelmed = )