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!

Happy Halloween!

It's 9:00 and we have officially been drained of our Halloween candy, so I figured I would take a minute and post a quick update. We had no idea how many trick-or-treaters we would get in our new neighborhood, but we'll be better prepared next year :).

After our first annual alumni swim meet up at Gardner-Webb, Kelly and I headed to Clemson to spend homecoming at our alma mater. The Tigers beat up on Coastal Carolina, so it was an enjoyable afternoon. I also love looking at the floats on Bowman Field.

There aren't any big updates on baby Riley other than that my doctors appt went well. My blood sugar tested in the normal range so I don't have to go on any special diet. I went ahead and got the swine flu vaccine on the recommendation of the doctors since we've had an outbreak at Gardner-Webb. I've also been trying to put some work into her nursery. Last Wed. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some wooden letters and paint and made letters for her nursery wall. It was really therapeutic since I don't get to do crafty things very often. You can see the picture below. Also, I posted a belly pic update. I am now 29 weeks and getting Braxton Hicks contractions rather regularly. They aren't painful, just an uncomfortable tightening. I'm definitely starting to feel more and more pregnant every day.

Happy Birthday Dave!

First of all, Happy Birthday to my wonderful father-in-law, Dave!

It's been so long since I posted an update, so I don't know where to start. Swimming season is in full swing and we traveled up to VMI in October, then had home meets vs. ECU and Catawba, and also traveled to Wilmington yesterday. We also had fall break and took the team up to the mountains to stay in a cabin for the weekend. It was beautiful up there, and the s'mores were delicious! We've had a great start to our season so far.

Kelly is staying busy with graduate school and working on applications for new funding opportunities for next year as he's looking to finish up his PhD. Frisbee season got pushed back for several weeks due to inclement weather, so I will let all of blog world know if Dudes and Dolls pulls off a championship.

Baby Riley is doing well. Only 12 more weeks to go. I guess I've officially arrived at the third trimester. I've gained right at 15 lbs and my belly button is threatening to pop out (which Kelly finds hilarious...)My next appointment is on Tuesday where I will be tested for gestational diabetes. I also went and got a flu shot this week b/c we've had a flu outbreak at work....both H1N1 and regular. I haven't decided whether or not to get the H1N1 vaccine, but the doctor prescribed me w/ some Tamiflu b/c I've been exposed to it so that I will have a prescription handy if I come down w/ flu-like symptoms.

I will hopefully post some new pictures soon.

Oh Baby...

Baby Riley is growing...fast! Kelly took me to the mall to buy some maternity clothes necessities b/c I was running out of pants to wear....the belly band and the little elastic button extender have become futile attempts at making my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. (sigh). I had an appointment yesterday and all looked well. Riley had a heart rate of 152 beats per minute. They did an ultrasound and confirmed that she was, indeed, still a girl. Good news considering all of the pink in her closet. I've gained about 14 lbs so far, and my blood pressure has remained 112/60. I have the 28 week gestational diabetes test at the next prenatal visit on Oct 26th. I think she is laying on my sciatic nerve as I've been having numbness and the feeling of a "dead leg" on my upper left leg. I mentioned it to my doctor, but she didn't seem to be concerned at all. Other than that, all is well. Here is a picture at 24 weeks.

Kelly and I had a chance to go to the Clemson vs. TCU game with one of our friends, Drew, this past weekend. It was tons of fun, but we did endure a downpour during the second half. There's nothing like trudging back to your car after adding about 10 lbs due to soaking wet clothes :). Drew had never been to Clemson so we took him around and took pictures with Howard's Rock.

Also last week, Kelly and I celebrated Christmas in September. I had been telling him how much I was ready for Christmas lights, music, movies, cider, and s'mores to make a return. I absolutely adore those little traditions....So on our weekly "date night." Kelly prepared just that. First we went out to dinner, then we came back to the house to lay on the couch in our pajamas, watch a movie, all while sipping hot cider and s'mores made over the stove (by the way, i do a much better job of toasting marshmallows over the stove than over an open flame). mmm. Is it Christmas yet?

We make our first travel trip w/ the swim team this season on Friday. We will be heading up to Virginia Military Institute. Thankfully Kelly gets to come along on this trip.

Nothing Much...

Happy Birthday Justin! Today my little brother is 17. I sure wish I could be there to celebrate with him, and cheer him on in the football game he's playing tonight.

Last weekend my mama came up for a visit. We had a very relaxing weekend of shopping, college football, baking, and laying out in the sun. I love every moment I get to spend with her. I wish my dad could've come too!

Also, we made our last car payment, so we are officially debt free (minus the mortgage of course). There's a huge sense of freedom in that.

I guess the only other big thing is that baby Riley is due in less than 4 months. That thought really blows my mind b/c the first 12 weeks went by sooo slow. The last 11 have flown by. Hopefully the next 17 will be just as fast.