10 Days

Hello Madison,

We're only 10 days away from meeting you for the first time!  At least that's the plan.  After 2 weeks of progress towards delivery this week's visit to the doctor revealed no change :(  You're pointed the right way but you've got a ways to go in the downward direction before you're ready to come out.  People were hoping you'd come early, perhaps on your Mom's birthday on the 16th, but it looks like the best we can hope for is that you're on time.  Don't be late!  My parents are flying up here for Labor Day weekend and you need to be born by then!

Over the weekend your Mom had me put together a shelving unit for all your toys.  You're not even born yet and you already have enough toys for a whole storage unit! I thought that it should be put in the basement because that's where you'd spend most of your time playing but she wanted it near your room.  Since you're reading this in the future you'll know who turned out to be right.  I'm guessing your father had to eventually move that stupid shelf down two flights of stairs...

That's about it for now.  Remember - be on time!

Love,
Dad

Two Weeks...

Hello Madison!

We are getting into the red zone now with your delivery.  Only 2 weeks (and a day) until your due date.  You Mom is now going to the doctor every week to make sure things are going well and thankfully everything is.  The doctor says Meghan is almost 2cm dilated up from 1cm last week which means that you're getting ready to come out.  She couldn't tell us if that meant you'd be coming early though.

By this point I'm sure your Mom would appreciate you coming a little early - she's very uncomfortable these days and is waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep.  And she's hot all the time.  Ask her how much I loved her little fan every night during that last trimester :)

Your Grandparents Reining were in Europe for the past week for a wedding.  They were seriously worried about you arriving while they were over there.  I kept telling Meghan to text them that we were in the hospital but she wouldn't go with the joke.  Boo!

I'll leave you with this picture I saw on Twitter today that I found very amusing.  Hopefully you've got a good sense of humor like your Dad...

Holy Crap Only A Month To Go!?

Hey Madison,

Here's your mom at 36 weeks.  At this point you're so big that any movement you make can be seen on her belly.  And you're moving around a lot.  I've felt you go from one side of her belly to the other.  Also you hiccup a lot in there.

Meghan is really starting to get tired of being pregnant at this point.  She doesn't sleep that well cause you're kicking her all night and its hard for her to get in a comfortable position laying on the bed.  Of course we don't want you to be born early but please try to be on time and not hold up in there for a couple extra days!

Love,
Dad

Less Than 5 Weeks To Go!

Hello Madison,

We are rapidly approaching D-day (delivery day).  In less than five weeks we'll meet you for the first time.  We can't wait!  I was telling your mother that I've stopped keeping track of the passage of time by what day of the week or month it is - instead everything is based on the distance from the day when you'll be born.

This weekend was a "barn burner".  I weeded all morning and then in the afternoon your mom and I went to the dentist for our 6 month cleanings.  Romantically we sat next to each other as dental technicians scraped plaque off our teeth and told us to floss more.  After that craziness we went to Wal-Mart to buy snacks for your mom's office.  Sunday we met your grandparents Reining for breakfast at Burnt Toast and then hit up the grocery store and Costco.  After all that excitement I had to relax by putting together your baby swing and bassinet.  Yes we'll miss mad capped weekends like this after you're born...

I think pretty much everything you need once you've left the womb is ready at the house.  Your mom is now on the second "Bringing home from the hospital outfit" for you.  Apparently the 1st one, which was SOOOO CUTE a week ago, is no longer cute so she had to get you a new one.  I don't know why she bothered - I bought you a perfectly good Batman onesie for the ride home.  What more could you want than the honored symbol of The Bat on your chest?

Love,
Dad

Month & A Half To Go!

Well Madison it seems like just yesterday I was frantically running out to CVS at 10 at night to grab more pregnancy tests to confirm what the 3 previous tests had told us.  These past 7.5 months have gone by quick.  Maybe more so for me than your mother.  I haven't been saddled with the whole task of growing a new human being inside me like she has.

As you get bigger and bigger (this size of a LARGE cantaloupe now 21 inches long and 5.5 lbs - I don't know where this app finds its cantaloupes but I've never seen one that big) your movements and kicks inside the womb are more and more intense to Meghan.  You're running out of room quick in there!  I can see her belly moving around when you decide to switch positions.

Your room is all ready for your arrival.  Mom took a week off to get everything organized and wash all your little clothing.  A ton of clothing which people tell me we'll use all of because you're going to be pooping all over everything at an alarming rate.

This past weekend was your Uncle Chris (Reining)'s wedding.  Not to be confused with your Uncle Chris (Peters) whose wedding is a month after you're born which you may or may not attend depending on what the doctor tells us.  It was your mom's 3rd wedding being pregnant and thus not enjoying all the thrills an open bar can bring.  Unfortunately for me I enjoyed it all too much and was quite hung over the next day.  I blame your Grandma Penny and the bottle of tequila she smuggled in to the event.

Here's your Mom in her bridesmaid dress.  This was quite a problem as you got bigger and bigger.  She was worried she was going to be too big to get into it.  Thankfully she was able! Sorry for the blurs. iPhones aren't great at pictures in motion.  Maybe since you're reading this in THE FUTURE they have improved their camera?

Here's your Uncle and his groomsmen before the wedding.  The horse masks were Chris's idea.  I think they looked hilarious.  Later in the evening, after several drinks, your father could be seen on the dance floor in one of those horse masks doing the robot.  Thankfully I don't think any pictures were taken of that...

...but I certainly got a picture of your Uncle Chris as he rampaged around the dance floor in one!  At this point in the night he had stripped down from his wedding suit to just a tshirt and slacks.  He was totally the life of the party.

Baby Classes

Hello Madison,

Now that we've got the baby shower behind us we're on to the childbirthing classes our hospital recommended we take.  These are a series of 4 classes every Thursday from 7-9p.  So far we've been to 3 and I've really learned a lot.  Apparently there is a special way to bathe a baby.  And man are there rules for when you sleep.  Nothing in the crib!  No blankets!  No bumpers.  I swear you have more rules than a mogwai (go watch the movie Gremlins if that reference goes over your head.  I'm sure by the time you're reading this it is probably an old timey classic).  Ask you mom about how much she "loved" the relaxation techniques we went over at the end of every class.

Also since we're post-baby shower we had to go out and buy all the stuff left on our registry.  3 carts loads!  People at Buy Buy Baby kept coming up to us to take our filled carts.  We dropped quite a bit of change there.  Hope you like all the stuff we got.

About 2 months to go now at this point.  Both your mother and I (and probably all our family) are eager to meet you!

Love,
Dad

Baby Shower Slam!

Hey Madison,

Your wardrobe is much larger than last time we spoke.  The Baby Shower happened and you cleaned up!

My parents came into town for the first time since we moved up here for the event (they'll come up for the 2nd time since we moved up here when you're born I'm sure).  I picked them up from the airport and proceeded to drive the 40 minutes back to Lake in the Hills.  Everytime the GPS said "20 miles until" my Dad was like "What!? Where do you live!?".  I had the same reaction the first time your mother brought me up here.  We got picked up by her parents and proceeded to ride for an hour through a bunch of corn fields.  "You are NOT from Chicago" I told your Mom.

So on Saturday was the Baby Shower.  It was held at the Village Squire in Elgin.  Your mom, my mom, and my sister all went while my dad and I went to beautiful (sarcasm) Spring Hill Mall to wait it out until gift opening time at the Barnes and Noble.   When I got the call we drove over and we opened all sorts of things for you.  We left the join with onsies, dresses, headbands (OH THE HEADBANDS!!!!), toys, bottles, pacifiers, AWESOME UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA APPAREL, and a couple strollers.  Still a couple more must buy things on the registry but we definitely made some good head way thanks to the generosity of our friends.

After the shower we had to rush back home cause all your furniture was being delivered.  The bed you're still in now (hopefully) was delivered on that very day.  With all that set up of course your mom had to unload all the gifts and start nesting.  Things are really starting to come together and it is very clear that we're going to be having a child in the near future.  We can't wait until you're in that room!

In non-baby shower news I was able to find a job after about a month of unemployment.  It is actually a dream job - super close to the house and dealing with computers.  Apples to be exact.  By the time you read this Apple or Google will have taken over the world.  I leave work every day at 5 and am home by 5:15.  Compare that to getting home at 730!  I'm living the dream.

We also started taking our Childbirth classes.  Basically those are held by the hospital and they tell us what to expect during the whole labor process.  I'm learning a lot but your mother is totally against the relaxation techniques they're teaching us.  Hopefully you get my more laid back personality...

Less than 3 months away from meeting you!  Hurry up already!

Love,
Dad