Our last Christmas as DINKs

(Today, I am 33 weeks, which is the beginning of my 9th month)

This year marks our last Christmas as DINKs (dual income no kids). Next year we will be DIOKs (dual income one kid). We are excited that Reese will be here to celebrate Christmas with us next year!



We had a great Christmas Eve celebrating Christ's birth during mass at St. Vincent de Paul with Scott and Chris and then having a Mexican dinner with Mom and Sam at their house.

Matt was overly excited, as usual, Christmas morning as Santa left lots of stocking stuffers and gifts under the tree. We had Sam's famous bubble bread for breakfast and then opened gifts.


Reese, your Daddy can be goofy!



We spent Christmas Day at Matt's parents house with Joe, Pat, Mom, Sam, Aunt Sharon, Chris, Scott and Lauren. We had a delicious meal, opened more presents and then relaxed in front of the TV. Matt gave his Dad the Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum, so we watched them both. It was a great day.


In the meantime, we have been preparing to move, aka, packing, working on house projects and getting the house professionally cleaned.

Matt and the movers are moving us while I blog. We will be officially moved in today and will spend our first night at our home tonight.


We decided to have the electricity rewired for the entire house, as the knob and tube wiring is too old and dangerous. So that will happen next week. I am certain our projects will be never ending for this old house, but we must keep in mind that it's only temporary and one day we will tear it down and rebuild!



I am trying to stay rested; it's hard when we've got 50 million things going on. Luckily, our parents have volunteered to help us unpack starting tomorrow! They've got shelf paper and lots of boxes in their future. Not to mention the other projects they are doing (trim paint and wall coverings). What great parents we have!

Sleeping in 2 Hour Increments

For the past week and I'm sure for the rest of the pregnancy, I get up every 2 hours during the night.

It all started after we got back from the hospital observation visit last Wednesday. Before that, I would get up at least 2 or 3 times a night.

I think it is happening for a number of reasons:

1. My body is preparing me for all those nighttime feedings; better get used to waking up and staying up long enough to feed and change Reese. However, for now I just wake up, use the bathroom, get a drink, reposition my pillows and fall back to sleep. I know once Reese arrives, I'll get to stay up for 1 or 2 hours or more.

2. I start out sleeping on my left side like a good pregnant woman, all cuddled with my 2 pillows and Boppy body pillow, and then I get sore and have to switch sides.

3. Each time I wake up, I use the bathroom and drink more water. Ever since our visit last week, I am drinking water all day and all night to stay hydrated which means I have to get up more often to pee. What a vicious (and necessary) cycle I've created.

Believe it or not, I'm not totally exhausted during the day, but I do try and sneak in a nap if I can!

Today was the first day I began taking my newly prescribed medicine, albuterol sulfate, which is supposed to decrease the frequency of contractions. I have to take my pulse first and as long as it's below 120/minute I am free to take the pill. It does help; my uterus hasn't been so relaxed for such an extended period of time in a long time (now that I know those are contractions I am feeling). I can take the medicine every 6 hours during the day.

And I must admit that I stepped out yesterday to run by Target. I wasn't gone for more than an hour and by the time I got back, I was so sore and the contractions began! So, I'm not full of it, I do have contractions when I stand or walk. Back to the couch with my feet up. Luckily, the contractions quickly ceased once I drank some water and laid down. I have a feeling this rest / working from home thing is going to continue for quite a while as my body just can't seem to handle much at all.

Work is very supportive and are encouraging (or should I say forcing) me to take it easy and only work 4 hours or less a day. I'm getting the paperwork completed to start Short Term Disability, so whatever time I do not charge to a project I'll charge to STD and get paid for it. Beats using my vacation time! I must say Hitachi has a great maternity policy and they really believe that Reese and I are more important than work. I am thankful to be working for such a great company.

I am excited for the weekend and Christmas next week! More relaxing is on my agenda.

Rest, Rest, Rest!

First of all, let me say, Thank You all so much for the prayers and positive thoughts you have been sending our way!

For the past few days, I have been resting and trying not to worry. It's amazing how anxious I was after last week's events. I guess the fact that I was on bed rest and still having some contractions, work was still crazy (I did limit my hours to 4 a day), we are preparing to move next week and it's almost Christmas, I was still stressed. My friend Christi said it best, "It's the beginning of a lifelong worry!" So this is what it feels like to be a parent? I can't believe how worried I found myself; constantly thinking is Reese ok?, am I having too many contractions?, why is my heart rate up?, I can't breathe!

Finally, I am starting to relax. I had a follow up appointment yesterday with Dr. Firpo. (I had not left the house until the appointment.) She was very happy that my fetal fibronectin test was negative and that the painful contractions had decreased significantly. I told her I had been resting with my feet up and had limited my work hours from home. I told her that I was still having one to three mildly painful contractions a day and a fairly significant amount of Braxton-Hicks contractions during the day. Especially when I stand up. For this reason, I try not to stand up too much throughout the day. She prescribed a medication that I can take every 6 hours, as needed, to reduce the Braxton-Hicks contractions. And she said I should continue to only work 4-6 hours from home with my feet up. She will re-evaluate me on 12/31.

Luckily, work has already brought my replacement onboard, so I have been able to transition a lot of my work to him.

I am finally feeling better today. I've finally reached the point of being more relaxed which I think is also helping reduce the contractions. I was just over doing it with work and life and this event was God's way of telling me to SLOW DOWN.

So this year my Christmas gift list is small and includes a few online purchases and gift cards. And I am ok with that. You know, it's hard when you are a control freak like me. I never realized I had such an A-Type personality until now when I'm forced to sit and be still (I know, you all knew). It's bugging me that I can't shop 'til I drop or help out more with the house repairs, but again I've got to let it go and trust that it will get done. And is it really that big of a deal if something doesn't? Nope!

Matt and our parents have been very helpful in getting the house ready for our move next week: December 27th. Trust me, I won't move a thing. I'll just sit/lay on the couch while it's all being taken care of. Anyone want to help unpack? ;) I know our parents will be helping us over the New Year's weekend.

Reese is moving a lot which means she is a-okay. Her heartbeat was 159 yesterday which is great! She and I will be just fine! Mommy just has to continue to lay low and rest, rest, rest. I'll try not to go stir crazy in the meantime. Sounds like a great opportunity to write thank you notes!

Lots of love,

A, Matt and Reese

Too Much Drama for This Baby Mama!!

(Posting below was written by Matt)

I wish I could say everything at Adrienne's doctor appointment today was perfect, but I can't. Over the past couple of days she has had what I would call SEVERE back pain . . . and sometimes the backpain would cross over to lower her abdomen. She left work early yesterday because of the pain and went to bed. She rested and worked from home all of today.

Luckily, today was her scheduled doctor appointment. I picked Adrienne up from home and we headed to her appointment with Dr. Firpo at 3:50pm (Dr. Leeds-Richter just had her baby, so Dr. Firpo is Adrienne's doctor until Dr. Leeds-Richter is back from her maternity leave). Adrienne told Dr. Firpo about her pain and at first thought it sounded like Adrienne was having what is called "Braxton-Hicks" contractions.

A GOOGLE search shows Braxton-Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that actually start at about 6 weeks (although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after midpregnancy, if you notice them at all (some women don't)). They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872. As your pregnancy progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they should remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.

Adrienne had a contraction in Dr. Firpo's office while Dr. Firpo's hand was on Adrienne's belly. Dr. Firpo said the contraction didn't feel like a Braxton-Hicks contraction. They ran some more tests and hooked Adrienne up to a contraction monitor. The monitor showed that Adrienne was having REAL CONTRACTIONS!!!!

We immediately checked Adrienne into the Hospital to undergo observation. While in the hospital, they gave Adrienne 3 separate shots of Terbutaline. Everytime she received a shot, her heart rate immediately raced up and she felt light headed. She also threw-up all over the nurse (after the third shot of Terbutaline).

So after sitting in the room for a couple of hours and seeing the REAL contractions gradually decrase, our minds were put at ease.

The hopspital also performed a fetal fibronectin test, which was negative. A negative test result means Adrienne has a 98% chance that she will NOT deliver the baby in the next 2 weeks. The negative test result, coupled with the fact her cervix is still closed, are very good signs that we have bitten the bullet and can hopefully postpone delivery.

We talked to the doctor, and if Adrienne can hold-off on delivering the baby until her 36th week, Adrienne and Baby Reese will be in good shape. We are at 31 weeks tomorrow, if you are curious.

So many of you are asking what next. Well, right now it is lots of rest (and water) for Adrienne and Reese. Adrienne was told NOT to work for the next four days and that if she does go back to work, no stress and no late hours is the order of the day. I told her on the way home from the hospital (at about 10pm), "that work dog don't hunt around here."

So please keep Adrienne and Reese in your prayers. We need both of them healthy and for Baby Reese to stay in Mommy's belly for a full term.

My 2nd Houston Shower!

This was a Baby Shower weekend! I had my second Houston shower (my third and final shower) today at my friend Kitty's house. She, Debbie and Lynn hosted a fun, laid back party for me and some of my friends and co-workers.



We had a great time snacking on homemade appetizers and treats while chatting it up. Everyone enjoyed wine except me and my friend Christina who is also expecting her first child June 19th! I'll be glad when I can have a glass of wine again.



Reese received more wonderful gifts!

My friend Jamie gave Reese this unique hand sewn "yoyo" rabbit doll.

This one will be great for Reese's tummy time!

Reese will be a pretty girl in pink!

Matt's Mom gave us the Baby Bjorn; Matt is thrilled!

Debbie brought my favorite cake, strawberry with butter cream icing, from my favorite bakery RJ Goodies.

Here I am with Raquel, Kitty, Christine and Linh.

Here I am with Mom, Jamie, Marla and Danielle.

And here are ALL of the gifts we have received from you bloggers! Matt and I have the best family and friends. Thank you so very much for loving us and Baby Reese as much as you do. We love you too!

Matt and I are planning to move to our house on Dec. 27th. Matt spent the day painting our bedroom. He's been spending a lot of time getting the house ready for us to move in! Reese and I really appreciate all of Daddy's hard work.

My 1st Houston Shower ~ 30 Weeks

I am now 30 weeks along which means we only have 10 more weeks (if I go full term to 40 weeks). Wow! That doesn't sound like much time at all. Wendy says it'll be the longest 10 weeks ever because we'll be so excited for Reese to arrive, and I'll start getting tired and uncomfortable.

I was blessed with another fabulous shower today! It was my first Houston shower too. It was at a charming restaurant called Ouisie's Table. The hostesses did a superb job putting it all together! I absolutely loved it!


Here are the hostesses and me (Amanda, Debbie, Shelli, Wendy, Aunt Sharon, Me, Stacy, Leslie and Jennifer):




The table decorations were hand made!






Wendy knew I wanted this particular Pottery Barn Kids diaper bag, but it is no longer being sold in the stores. She was able to find it for me and she filled it with lots of neat stuff for Reese!



Many of my great friends came to celebrate and they showered us with so many gifts! While I opened gifts, the guests played a game where they had to guess which feature I would like Reese to get from mommy or daddy.




Here are a few examples:

Eyes - Mommy
Hair - Daddy
Nose - Mommy
Humor - Daddy
Fashion Sense - Mommy
Organization Skills - Daddy




Kara, Aliza and Jennifer all tied with 14 correct guesses! Cute game.


Grandma Pat and Grandma Fredda:



My friend Debbie:

My best friend from college, Stacy:

My friends, Wendy and Amanda:

My prego friend, Kasey (due on Dec. 27th):


It was fun to see all of my wonderful friends and chat over a yummy brunch. Thanks to you all for coming and for the fantastic gifts. Matt and I are blessed to have you all in our lives. I can't wait for you all to meet Reese!

Blossoming a.k.a. Getting Big!

Apparently I am getting bigger, or should I say, Reese is growing and making my belly blossom. It seems like everyone noticed on Friday and felt like telling me "You are getting big!". Thank you? I must say, even though it's great that I am getting bigger because it means Reese is growing, I don't really like to hear the words. I mentioned this to someone at work and they said, "Well, you have blossomed". I guess that does sound better. :)

So here we are. Matt and I had two Christmas parties to attend on Saturday night, so we got a little dressed up. I had to ditch the boots and go for my new patent leather flats. My ankles have started to swell too. It's not so bad just yet, but after a late night on Saturday they were very swollen.

Earlier in the day, I attended my friend Kasey's baby shower. She is scheduled to deliver her baby boy Dylan on December 27th. Kasey and I spent a lot of time comparing pregnancy stories. It was nice to be able to discuss all of the fun and not so fun stuff that comes with this wonderful experience.

Before I know it, my belly will be this big, then I'll really be hearing those words from you guys. :) I promise to not take it personal.

On Sunday, Matt and I attended our first hospital class: The Hospital Tour. We received a lot of great information about preparing for the big day and also toured the Labor and Delivery room and the Postpartum room. It was nice to see where the action will be taking place once Reese is ready to arrive.

Closing in on 29 Weeks ~ 8 Months

I had another doctor appointment today; it was the last time I will see my doctor before she has her baby on December 7th. Not to worry, she will be back before Reese is due.

Here we are, Dr. Shelly Leeds Richter and me. She looks great!


Everything went well. I didn't gain any weight since last time. Yay! That was hard to believe since I ate lots of pie over the Thanksgiving weekend. Reese's heartbeat was 144 beats/minute and I am measuring at 28. Dr. Richter said I have to continue taking the iron supplements until I deliver.

I'll get to have another ultrasound on January 15th.

I will be 29 weeks on Thursday. This starts the 8th month.

Now we are getting somewhere...

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. My Aunt Jamie and Grandma Ruth came to Houston to spend Thanksgiving with us. Matt and I went to his Aunt Sharon's for Thanksgiving lunch. It was the first time many of this family members had seen the belly! Then we headed back to Mom and Sam's for Thanksgiving dinner.

We gave up our room at Mom's for the weekend so Grandma could stay and we spent the weekend in our house. Scott was nice enough to let us stay Wednesday - Saturday night. It was fun to actually stay in "our house." It really made us want to get moved in ASAP!

On Friday, my Mom, Aunt Jamie, Grandma and I faced the crowds and went shopping. I bought Reese some cute cotton pants to match all of the onesies she got at the shower and I bought some warm maternity clothes for myself at Old Navy.

Matt started painting and preparing the house for our move-in date. We created our to-do list and it's long! He and I also made a trip to Lowe's for ceiling fans and a dining room light. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time and $$ at Lowe's over the next month before we move in to the house.

Below is the dining room after the first coast of paint.


Below is Reese's room in all pink.


Below is Reese's room with the dark pink accent wall (all of the other walls and ceiling are painted in light pink). The fan and mini-blinds should be replaced in the next two weeks.

Matt worked really hard getting the painting started. Next weekend, our parents are going to help us continue paining the trim and other rooms. I'll stay away from the painting so I don't inhale the fumes...probably washing Reese's new baby clothes!

I also ordered her baby furniture today, so Matt and I are making progress as we divide and conquer the "to do" list.

My Abilene Baby Shower ~ November 17th 2007

My first baby shower was this weekend in my hometown, Abilene, TX. The shower was held at the Swenson House. The hostesses put on an awesome shower! It meant so much to me and it was a very special day.

Here are the hostesses and me
(from left to right: Alyssa, Kelly, Aunt Jamie, Me, Maylee and Meghan).

One of my best high school friends, Kelly.

My bosom buddy cousin, Meghan.

My younger sisters, Ashley & Alyssa.

Reese's namesake, my cousin Maylee Carol Reese.

My Mom!

My Dad hung around long enough to say 'Hi' to all of the girls and take a quick pic!

My Step Mom, Dana.

The shower theme was based on Reese's polka dot bedding.

Check out the cake!

We had lots of tasty treats.

Many of my family and high school / college friends came to the shower! It was so much fun to see everybody. You all blessed us with so many wonderful gifts!

While I was opening gifts, each person took a ribbon and cut it by the length they thought my belly was round. Alyssa was the closest followed by Erin and Stacia.

Stacia was so sweet, she took notes of all of the gifts I received as I opened them.

The gifts kept coming...

And coming...

Maylee is attending Angelo State and got Reese an ASU jumper; Matt was so excited.

And coming...

My niece, Lexi, was a big help as I continued opening...



Lexi and Maggie helped me unwrap this one...

34 gifts later, I unwrapped the last one. Wow! Reese is so loved!

After the shower, Matt came to help load up all of the wonderful gifts in the Volvo. Then, he and I met my Dad & Dana & my brother Joe and his family for dinner at the Beehive downtown.

On our way to my Aunt Jamie's house after dinner, Matt and I bought a few storage bins so we could sort and consolidate the gifts for a better fit in the Volvo on the way home. Aunt Jamie, Meghan, Maylee and Maggie helped me go through them all and pack the bins. It made it possible to get everything plus our luggage packed for our ride back to Houston.

Alyssa and Ashley came over later and the kids played while we chit chatted.

Here are Reese's cousins: Slaton (2 1/2 years old) and Maggie (3 years old).

They are so cute!

Here is Ashley with her daughter Lexi (7 years old) and Meghan's daughter Maggie. Reese will have some great cousins to play with once she arrives!

Matt, Mom and I had a great weekend in Abilene; we wished it was not such a quick trip!

Thanks again to the hostesses and the wonderful shower you had for us. And thank you to everyone who traveled near and far to attend the shower; it was so nice to see each and every one of you!

Lots of love,

A, Matt and Reese