SUCH a big boy!!!

Our little man is almost 12 weeks!!! We can't believe how fast he is growing....he changes each day! We are so in love with him :-)

He was baptized today. It was a wonderful mass and we were very blessed to share it with our family and friends...pics to come soon!!!

Our Little Reid - August & Sept

Ok, so I owe this blog a ton of pictures....I have gotten into facebook and been doing much better keeping things up to date there...whoops!
Reid is doing great and was 13 lbs, 10 ounces and 24 inches long at his 8 week check up on Sept 3rd. He is now 10 1/2 weeks old and still growing....

Nights are going much better, as he goes to bed around 9 p.m. and sleeps until 4 or 5:30, eats and goes back to sleep until 7ish. We are hoping he will someday get to the 12 hour sleep stage (does that really exist?), but for now we are counting our blessings and enjoying the nice block of sleep we are all getting each night!

We had a couple of family trips this summer; went to the beach house twice and we also took Reid down to Gold Beach.....you should have seen the look on the hotel manager's face when he asked me how old our 'one child' was....6 weeks!!! :-) It was an adventure, but nice to get out of town and away from the heat.

We are all settling back into a routine now and are getting back into the swing of work and school....and of course, Beaver football :-)

Reid's First Trip to the Beach!!

We escaped the heat last week and headed over to the beach house. Reid did great in the car; though we had to stop about 10 miles outside of Waldport to change TWO diapers and feed him. He just couldn't wait!! Mommy is even learning to sit in the front seat with Daddy instead of the back seat :-) The weather was awesome at the coast; 62 degrees and sunny when we got there on Monday and about the same and foggy when we left. It was nice to wear 'real' clothes and even Reid seemed more comfortable. Grandpa Dale, Grandma Sheri and Grandma Karen went with us, so little Reid got plenty of attention!

Reid's First Week

I'm back!!! I finally found some time away from the sweet little munchkin to post some more pictures. Reid will be one week old tomorrow and to celebrate, here are some photos of all the fun we have been having over the past few days. First, I have to say thank you to Kara for doing such a great job with the blog while we were in the hospital. I finally got to look at it when we got home and she did great! We came home from the hospital on Friday to a house full of help and good food (thanks everyone!). After spending 2 nights in the hospital, we were all glad to be able to rest up at home. Our first couple of nights here at home were very rough--up pretty much all night trying to get the hang of feeding. The past couple of nights have been better and last night was great. It's amazing how a good 4-5 hours of sleep (not all at once of course) can make you feel like a functioning person again. Reid is an absolute angel....we had our first doctor's appointment yesterday and though he screamed the whole time, he was given a glowing report and has gained 7 ounces in the past two days! He is up to 7 pounds 14 oz and on his way back up to his birth weight--he will be there before we know it. His Daddy and I are absolutely head over heels in love with him and are enjoying our (often sleepless) time at home and getting to know our precious little boy. We would like to thank all of our family and friends for all of their love, support, advice and well wishes!

Meeting Baby Reid!!

Nicole is pretty tired, she would like to get some rest and then would be happy to have visitors tomorrow.

Little "n" is here!!!

Reid Dale Neuschwander has made his appearance!!!

8lbs. 4oz.

22 1/2 inches.

Nicole did a great job, and is doing great!!! They are so glad to finally have him in their arms.

Update

Nicole is now 7cm. A little progress but progress nonetheless!!

Still has a smile on her face, for now. :)

:)Kara

Progress!!

Nicole is now 6cm!! The Dr. just broke her water and everything is moving along perfectly!! Great job Nikki!!

Kara

Here He Comes!!!

Horray!! He's finally decided to meet the world!!

Nicole went into labor last night about 11:00 and her and Nate came into the hospital about 3am. Nicole is a good 3cm, contracting every 2-3 minutes and is making good progress. She just got her epidural and is going to get some much needed rest before the big event.

Yesterday, we went to get pedicures (had them work those pressure points), had a good lunch, then bounced on the bouncy ball. Maybe it worked!! We are all very anxious to meet little "N", as we know you all are as well. I'll do my best to update this. It won't be a centimeter by centimeter update but I'll do my best.

Be back soon!!

39 Weeks.....and Desperate!!!

Oh my goodness we want this little guy out of the belly and into our arms....especially me, but Daddy is getting rather anxious as well :-) Yesterday we took a trip up to 4,000 ft (Mary's Peak) to try the 'change in elevation' trick. Did it work? Well, it's 24-hours later and Little n is still in the oven...guess not!

I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks and some other signs that tell me this is likely progressing. Last week I was one cm dialated and 60% effaced. I have my next appointment on Weds and we will see where we go from there. I keep wishfully thinking that perhaps I won't make it to the next appt.....Little n keeps proving me wrong!

Nursery Pictures - 37 Weeks - Full Term!

The nursery is mostly complete....and it's a good thing because he is on his way :-) Here are some photos of the finished product. There are still a few finishing touches to be added....Traci is making letters to hang above the crib to spell his name--yes, still top secret--and his matching hamper is being shipped to us. We are very excited to bring him home to his new room (not that he will be sleeping in there right away--who are we kidding?)

Our last Dr. appt was last Tuesday and we go back tomorrow. Weight gain was 27 pounds....he is packing on the weight, but I seem to have slowed down, thank goodness. Nate and I were both born at 38 weeks, so we are wondering if perhaps he might follow suit. You never know! On the flip side, he does seem to be pretty comfortable in there...all packed in like a sardine....better wash the swaddling blankets!

The plan for the big day is for Kara to post a blog for us once he makes his grand entrance. We will try to include pictures and of course, the top secret name! Stay tuned.....

One Last Getaway!!

We decided to squeeze in one last trip to the beach house before Little n comes. We had a fabulous time with Grandpa Dale, Grandma Sheri, Aunt Katie, Uncle Travis, Aunt Tiff and Uncle Grant. It was a gorgeous weekend, so we took advantage and went up to Cape Perpetua to enjoy the sights. We can't wait for our beach house trips this summer with Little n!

We are 33 1/2 weeks now and doing very well. We have gained 22.5 pounds and climbing. There are days where I am absolutely exhausted and days where I feel very normal. I assume the tired days may start to out number the normal days here at some point, but we will get through it. We are happy that our little boy is staying content in there (and staying head down!) and can't wait to meet him in a few short weeks!

Baby's First Golf Lesson

Nate and I took the baby golfing this past weekend.....ok, so I didn't golf--not flexible enough for a full swing, that's for sure. The little guy and I got some exercise while Daddy played nine. We learned a few things, too, like not to let Daddy take the little one out until he learns to watch his mouth :-)

We are 31 weeks today and doing well. We have gained 21 pounds and counting....can't wait to see how high it goes.....yikes! The doctor was able to tell that baby is head down and ready to go! I was pretty confident that this was the case, given all the kicking that is going on up by my ribs. All the body parts are pretty much staying in the same general area of my belly, but rolling around a lot. I kinda thought he would settle down a little bit more by now....he definitely has a mind of his own!

We had our childbirth class this weekend and are all ready for the big day. Nothing, I am sure, can ever prepare us for that day, but we have more info now and learned a few things to help us stay calm and welcome our little bundle of joy! Now we are just sitting back and waiting at least 6 weeks for him to decide when the big day will be!

Nursery Progress

The paint and wainscoting are finished!!! Grandpa Dale and Nate did such a great job on all of this; it looks like a totally different room. The rest of the furniture is supposed to be delivered tomorrow and Little n asked me to ask his daddy if he would set it all up this weekend, to which Nate, of course replied 'yes'----yep, already has him wrapped around his tiny little baby fingers :-) Assuming the furniture arrives on time, I might be able to start decorating this weekend!

All Dressed Up

Here is a pic from a couple weeks ago. Auntie Em came to visit and we got all dressed up for Kim McGough's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and we had a fabulous time!

Third Trimester!

Tomorrow officially begins the third trimester! Still quite a bit of action going on in the belly...and hiccups at least once/day :-) He should start to run out of room though here in the next couple weeks and settle down (hopefully head down). The crazy movement is entertaining, but the entertainment really stops when he kicks the bladder :-) The nursery is coming along; Nate painted until about 9:30 p.m. on Friday night and again on Saturday to finish up the wainscoting. We need to do another coat of green and then it is time to get it all cleaned out and ready for the furniture that will be arriving in the next few weeks.

The pic above is Jenny Hamilton and I this past weekend. Jen is 28 weeks today (with her second) and I am 27 weeks. She doesn't know what she is having, but I am sure the little ones will be good friends, regardless. Maybe even with the same birthday....you never know!

Nursery Project! (almost 27 weeks)

This week is Spring Break, so Grandpa Dale and Daddy Nate have been hard at work on the nursery. Here are a couple of pics of the early project stages...more to come.

I had another Dr. Appt. last Thursday. I have now gained 15 pounds and am right on track for the customary 25-30 pound weight gain. My belly has really grown in the last couple of weeks and the little guy is packing a punch. I am able to feel his little body parts now when they push up against the inside of my stomach. It's very entertaining! The doctor accidentally squeezed his little head at our last appointment and he made sure to kick her back! Fiesty little guy :-)

New Belly Picture

For those of you who have been bugging me for a new belly pic.....here you go!

23 Weeks

Not much new to report. We had another check-up two weeks ago and everything is measuring about right. I have now gained 8.5 pounds, which I am told is about where I want to be. We are going to have to take more belly pictures soon, because little n has decided that he needs more space, so out pops the tummy....he is pretty much the boss (that probably won't change anytime soon). A few weeks ago we were all about nice soft little kicks and now he packs a serious punch!

We purchased the nursery bedding--see picture from website--and already have quite a collection of clothes. We think we are pretty close to having our name picked, but we aren't telling....it will be a secret until he is here :-)

20 Weeks - It's a BOY!!!

It's a boy!!! We had our 20-week ultrasound today and the technician was very sure that this little one is a boy! We were both very excited.....especially Nate. All measurements indicate at this point that June 30th is still the magical day and we can't wait to meet him!

19 Weeks!

We are almost to 20 weeks and very excited for our 20-week ultrasound tomorrow! We will find out the sex of the baby, too, as long as it cooperates. We haven't had an ultrasound since 13 weeks and are anxious to see the little one again!