Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday Kelly, and a Happy New Year!

Well we've certainly been busy over the last few weeks. I spent Dec 14-21st in Sarasota, FL for Christmas training w/ the swim team and Kelly stayed at home to get as much research done as possible. He has a graduation date in sight (May 2011) and doesn't want to get delayed....and I'm on board with that :).

We spent Christmas in Atlanta this year with Kelly's families. We are so blessed to have such wonderful, supportive families. We had a fantastic time as we always do when we get together. Here are some pictures:

When we returned from Atlanta, some of our Clemson friends came to stay w/ us for the night. Kelly roomed w/ Kyle, Brandon, and William throughout much of his undergrad days so there were many fun stories to be told. I enjoyed hanging out w/ Ashley b/c she just had a new baby about a month ago so I was able to ask her lots of questions about what it's like being a new mommy.

On the 28th we headed to Asheville, NC to celebrate Kelly's 26th birthday which was on the 29th. It was wonderful to spend some quality time w/ Kelly before Riley arrives . We went out to eat, played some mini-golf and laser tag at the Fun Depot, toured the Grove Park Inn and the National Gingerbread House competition, and of course watched plenty of Bowl Games. I have the most amazing husband in the world and I feel so lucky to be his wife. Happy Birthday Kelly. I love you!

Fun Depot

Our Cottage in Asheville

The Grove Park Inn

I guess that last thing is just a quick update on Baby Riley. She has continued to measure a little bit small in her abdomen so I've been visiting the doctor twice a week instead of once. I've also had lots of ultrasounds which have been kind of fun...in the sense that I get to see my little girl frequently. I had my amniotic fluid measured to make sure there was enough and I've had 2 non-stress tests all of which were fine. I have another ultrasound tomorrow to check on her progress. At one point I thought they were going to induce me early, but it seems that she is very healthy so we are just going to wait it out. Just over 2 weeks to go. Riley weighed about 5 1/2 pounds and I was 1 cm dilated at my last appointment. We will keep everyone updated!!! Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

2 more things...

Kelly reminded me when he got home of one very important happening:

1-Dudes and Dolls won the ultimate frisbee intramural championship :). Yes my husband is 25 years old, and yes he still plays intramurals at Clemson :). I love you honey.

2-We took a childbirth class at Spartanburg Regional. I wish we had learned something new, but Kelly got to see more births on video than he ever wants to see in his life. Don't think we'll be taking another one of those. :)

3-Staff Christmas party at Gardner-Webb tonight. Fun times.

Lots of Catching Up To Do...

I've been really bad about keeping up with this blog, so I will attempt to summarize the happenings of the last month or so...

1. I had a baby shower in GA hosted by my very best friends, and I had such a wonderful time seeing friends and family (some of whom I hadn't seen since my wedding.) I only wish we had more time to spend together. Here are a couple of pictures:

2. Kelly and I went to Florida for Thanksgiving to spend time with my family. We had a chance to watch my little brother play football in the state playoffs, and watch my dad coach. Thankfully they won in double overtime and they're still on the quest for a state championship. We ate Thanksgiving lunch at my uncle's house and my grandparents and cousins joined us there. On Saturday, my mom and grandmother threw me a baby shower. My grandma is so creative and she hand-made all of the place settings and decorations. It was so cute. Plus, the food was yummy :). Kelly got to go to the FSU vs. UF football game b/c my little brother has committed to play ball at Florida and he got free tix. Dad, Kelly, and Justin spent a day together in Gainesville and Kelly was forced to wear Orange and Blue (he told himself that it was Clemson colors)...but it was a bad day for Clemson too :).

Cutest Baby Boots Ever

Who's having a baby?

Thanksgiving!

3. After we left FL we made a stop in Georgia to visit Mom and Dave and to celebrate Mom's birthday with a little shopping and fondue dinner. Mom and I headed out on the town to find some good deals while Kelly and Dave went to the grocery and prepared an amazing dinner of Steak,Sausage,Shrimp, Bread, and Veggies...to be cooked in our broth and cheese...and of course fruit and chocolate fondue for dessert. yummy!

4. December has been quite busy so far as Kelly had to prepare to defend his proposal..which he did today...and passed! And I have been preparing to take our team down to Florida for Christmas Training. I was a little concerned about traveling so close to my due date, but the doctor seemed to think I would be fine. I had my 34 week appointment today and left feeling a little anxious. Thankfully my weight gain, blood pressure, and overall general health has been wonderful. Riley is moving around all the time and has made her way into the "head-down" position...hopefully she'll stay there. She currently weighs about 4 lbs 12 oz. I had an ultrasound to measure her b/c my belly has continued to measure a few centimeters smaller than normal for this many weeks gestation. She is right on track in all areas except her abdominal measurement. Her abdomen is measuring about 3 weeks behind the rest of her body. The doctor isn't sure why, but she scheduled me for a follow-up ultrasound in 3 weeks with the hope that her belly will catch up to the rest of her body. She didn't seem overly concerned, but she did mention that if she doesn't make progress that there is a chance that they will induce labor sooner than my due date. I'm praying that Riley's belly decides to grow between now and then. Thankfully, with all the help and support of our friends and family, I do feel like Kelly and I are prepared for our little one whenever she decides to make her appearance.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!