Happy Thanksgiving

I took the day off today to go to pick up Ryder's dresser from Liberty Furniture.  Of course, it did not fit in my car, so my Dad came with his trusty Aerostar van to save the day.  Efrin Gomez (E. A Gomez Custom Painting) will come to paint the office and Ryder's room this weekend.  I look forward to being one step closer to having the room ready.

Eric and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!!  We all have so much for which to be thankful... family, health, jobs, etc.  I am especially thankful for my little baby boy.

Putting the knobs on the dresser!

 The view from the doorway (I should have closed the blinds)

 Ryder's new Liberty Furniture dresser!  Huge thanks to Jason Brian for the hook up!

By the way- when in Roswell, check out Lucky's on Hwy 9 near downtown Roswell.  We had dinner with Alison and Chris Copenhaver there last night and the burgers were yum!  They have kettle cooked chips and sweet potato fries too... yum.  Alison and Chris gave Ryder his first Georgia baseball hat, among many other goodies.  Thanks guys!!

Good news from doc!

The specialist doctor checked me out today and everything looked much better than two weeks ago.  The rest made a huge difference!  I can do easy walks and light exercise (like yoga) now!!  I'm so relieved for my and Ryder's health... and for my sanity. :)

Relaxing (not as easy as it looks)

Eric and I spent the weekend at home where I made every attempt to be compliant with the doctor's "rest" orders.  Eric found time to smoke a pork shoulder, and I picked up the house and caught up on some "Real Simple" magazine reading.  I look forward to good news from the doctor tomorrow.  Hopefully I will be back in the gym at least doing yoga and be allowed short walks in the neighborhood.  Heaven help me if the "rest" order continues!!

 Preparing the pork shoulder...YUM!  It was Eric's best smoked pork yet!  The trick, we think, was 5 hours in the smoker and 2 hours in the oven.

 Eric's current game day partner... sorry Mia... Ryder will take your spot soon!

A fun Packer's outfit from Eric's family, the Duchow's, in WI!  Ryder can only sport this gear when "The Pack" are not playing Atlanta! :)  Thank you Irene and Barbara!

Showered with love

Saturday night was our first shower, hosted by the amazing Sprinkle girls... Lindsey, Allie, and Caroline.  The "House Divided" theme was a perfect couples shower complete with red/black and orange/blue tailgating decor.  Each detail was perfectly planned, from the "Baby Larson Loves Dawgs/Gators" coozies to red velvet and carrot cake (orange) desserts.  The girls outdid themselves!!  A HUGE thank you to all who came.  Ryder needed everything we received, and we appreciate it all so much.  Here are some pictures from the party and of the amazing gifts.

Great basket of very needed goodies from the Billington's!  The puppy is so soft.

 The Grateful Dead shirt from Jimmy (and also one from the Glaze's)!

 The cute letter blocks from Jessica and Jeremy!  Ryder is all set with toys and many useful gifts from the Glaze's!

 How big around are we!?!  Beau and Brian won!

All of the great gifts...  thank you, thank you, thank you!  Ryder's going to love his Sleep Sheep from Uncle Britt and Aunt Lindsey!  Look at the adorable Dawg wear from the Carpenter's and the great "BullGator" onesie from the Lunsford's.  We will certainly put the sterilizer from the Ryan's to good use! Ryder will love the gator and red dog onesies from Uncle Brian and Aunt Liz!

Check it out... the BOB running stroller (Eric will put together soon)!!!  WOW!  Thanks Wine Club & Anything-But-Wine Club!  That is so wonderful..

On another note, as most of you know, we found out on Tuesday that I have some health concerns and the doctor needs me to rest more to avoid early labor.  I am certainly taking the direction very seriously and will be absent from many upcoming events.  Hopefully my follow-up appointment on Nov 16 will show signs of improvement.

Just another Friday night

The sleigh crib, on loan to Ryder from our friends, the Bryant's, was our Friday night project.  You can see the Augusta National 18th hole painting above his bed (definitely need a new frame for that).  I also ordered a pillow for Ryder from Color Me Cute (www.colormecute.etsy.com).  Check out our progress so far...we still have a long way to go!  Now, we are off to go get some pizza!

Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia

On Sunday we went to Helen, Georgia (about 90 minutes north of Atlanta) to enjoy Oktoberfest.  Helen is a Disney Land like village that somewhat looks and feels like a German town (all Germans are laughing at this comment, but it is really as close as we will get in Georgia).  Me (+ Ryder) and Eric + Britt, Lindsey, Charlie (3 yrs), and Cooper  (10 months) all put on our Oktoberfest attire and ate schnitzel and drank beer (well, just those over 21 and not pregnant!).  We had a beautiful day and enjoyed the scenic drive.  Here are some great pictures from our trip...

Kicking it into high gear!

The nursery project is one step closer to being ready after a Sunday afternoon of cutting trim and using the nail gun Eric got for Christmas (thank you Mom and Dad!).  Here are some updated pictures.  We should have it painted soon.  I will post another picture after construction is complete.

Isn't that a serious face!

Notice the new trim above the bead board and crown molding along the ceiling since the last picture.  The paint has been ordered-- "Cloud Blue" from Restoration Hardware-- along with a matching rug!

We registered this past Saturday at the new baby store in Alpharetta called Buy Buy Baby (www.buybuybaby.com).  I chose to register there instead of Babies R Us because everyone can use their Bed Bath and Beyond coupons to get 20% off an item.  We are also registered at Restoration Hardware Baby & Child (www.rhbabyandchild.com) for our bedding and some splurge monogram outfits (what I have referred to as Ryder's church clothes). 

We have our 24 week appointment tomorrow morning.  The doctor will test for gestational diabetes (all women get this test) and measure my progress.  I hope they do an ultrasound to check on his kidneys.  If not, we will get an update on them at our next specialist appointment on Nov. 2.  Ryder is kicking me very often now, and you can even see some of the kicks through my clothes.  I said he was going to be a soccer player, and Eric quickly corrected me to say that our son was going to run cross country!  We'll see. :)