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

Last Trimester!

We're in the home stretch now Madison!  You're getting bigger every day and pretty much a fully formed human in there now.  Over 2 lbs and over a foot long.  It's crazy to think that in just 3 months we're going to have you in our lives.  This pregnancy has just flown by.  At least for me.  I can't say the same for your mother since you've made her sick, tired, kept her up at night with your kicking, and now you're making it difficult for her to pick things up.

This picture is of the glider I picked up yesterday for your nursery.  It is ultra comfortable and I've contemplated taking a nap in it already.  Occupying the glider is your bestest bear friend.  He doesn't have a name yet but right now I'm thinking Kevin in honor of the peacock that used to live outside my apartment in Atlanta.  The plan with this bear is to take pictures of you as you grow up with him so we can see how big you get.  Our friends Adam & Jenni did this with their son Parker and a stuffed monkey.  Kevin is WAY bigger than their stuffed monkey.  Proof that we love you much more than they love their son.

The rest of your nursery furniture should arrive this weekend.  Once that's in then all this will be real.  You'll have an official room in our home.  Who knows how old you'll grow to in that room.  Or what weird colors you might paint the walls in acts of teenage rebellion.  Just remember it's already been pink before so try to avoid that one.  The crib we bought is one of those lifetime cribs so as you grow it will drop down to a toddler bed and then a full sized bed.  Fancy, right?  I think my parents just stuck me in a makeshift hammock they made in their closet.  Actually they might have had a drop side crib which we know these days (2012) are vicious infant murderers.  Apparently it is very easy for an infant to get their head stuck in the drop side crib and get strangled.  Forget that!  Only the best for you daughter.

Meghan has her baby shower for you next Saturday.  My parents are flying up from Augusta to attend.  It'll be the first time anyone from the south has come to visit our Illinois house.  They should be quite impressed.  I've come along way from living in the ghettos of Atlanta in a shack.  Hopefully we pull in a whole bunch of cool loot for you.

In less cheery news I was laid off from my job in the city.  In the end I think it was for the better because that 4 hours a day commute would have made it so I never got to see you.  Now I'm looking for a job closer to home.  It is a little difficult because there aren't alot of agencies outside of the city so I'm primarily looking at client side marketing jobs.  Been looking for almost a month now.  In my downtime I've been super productive around the house and I've got dinner ready for your mother when she gets home every night.  She might not want me to go back to work if I continue to spoil her like this.

Well that's about it for now Madison.  I think I might go upstairs and do some reading in that glider (napping).

Love you,

Dad

Kicking Away

Your Mom and I were watching American Idol last night (as we always do Wednesday nights) and my favorite contestant, Philip Philips (yes that was his real name!) played a Dave Matthews song.  Dave Matthews, as you may or may not be aware of at this point in your life, is my favorite musician ever.  You started kicking up a storm so I'm going to assume that like your Dad you're a Dave fan as well.

The app says you're the length of a papaya at this stage.  Animal wise I'd say that's the size of a duck. Maybe? You are definitely making your presence seen on Meghan.  She is to the point where it is pretty obvious she's pregnant.  Getting larger every day she claims.  All I know is that my real estate on our bed is rapidly getting taken up by her, you, and her new pregnancy body pillow!