Friday, October 23rd

Aly, Denning, Beth, and Melissa - baking delicous sugar cookies! This turned into an all day project = )

Bri, Denning, Tristan, Aly, and Melissa - the first crew to arrive for the weekend! We all went to a fabulous lunch at Frontier Restaurant.

Baby Belly - 31 Weeks

Avery is going through major brain and nerve development these days. Her irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (She won't pick up anything from her nose until after birth though - smell is transferred through air not amniotic fluid).

Weekend updates to come! Avery had one exciting weekend...or at least I did with all of the loved ones in town!

Poor Travis...

He is about to be invaded by ladies! Thank goodness Tristan gets into town tomorrow and Uncle Mikey on Saturday = ) Until then I have prepared good topics for my girlfriends - flash cards included. We can discuss baseball world series and the sadness that it won't be a Freeway Series, fantasy football, beer, and fire (my little pyro loves fire). We'll find a way to mix these in amongst the talk of baking, breastfeeding, and mani/pedis. Good times!

Another good rain

I love this time of year and a good rain! Our backyard is really looking green and the temperature is finally hinting at Fall = ) With our rain yesterday and today we are predicted to be in the mid-60s this weekend which will be perfect for a family and friend filled weekend in ABQ! Travis and I will be spending this evening running our final errands and cleaning the last areas of the house before our company starts to come into town TOMORROW! Bri and Melissa will be the first to arrive into the Duke City...can't wait!!

Movie Review

Travis and I went to see Law Abiding Citizen on Sunday.

We both really liked it...great acting, intense plot, and it keeps you interested all the way through. In honor of full disclosure, this wimp definitely closed her eyes during the gruesome parts so be prepared! Cutting off of body parts is not my cup of tea...however I couldn't tell you how much they show, haha! Enjoy...and if nothing else you should see it for 1 hour and 45 minutes of Gerard Butler.
Travis continues his disapproval of me watching any movies where the lead actor has an accent = )

Baby Belly - 30 Weeks

We've made it to Week 30!! Avery is squirming like crazy and Remi seems to like my big new pillow of a belly = )

Avery's skin is smoothing out and her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. She's also adding some brawn - her grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.

Time to load up on the protein to help out Avery's developing brain!

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.