Rain Drops are Falling on My Head!

We had a shower last week, although I don't feel any cleaner. Actually we drove back to Wisconsin to our friends who threw a little baby shower/get together for us. It was really fun seeing our friends again. It will be the last time that we see them before the baby is born. Wow - now that statement is a bit of an eye opening! There's only about 13 weeks left before the big day!! I am trying to enjoy sleeping in, etc. but mother nature won't seem let me. Take today for example, I woke up at 6am and could not go back to sleep.(after one of the few nights of sleeping through the night...wait maybe I got up but don't remember...hmmm...). I guess I'm slowly but surely getting broken in for the big day....and if it's not the baby waking me up - it's George. That darn alarm cat - has figured out that I wake up at 2am to pee. So now if I don't wake up on my own - my alarm cat is waking me up to remind me!! Oh..and to get petted. He sticks his paw on my face and pushes me like he is saying, "Hey....Hey...are you awake? Hey..." Then when I wake up, he starts to purr and says, "Well since you are up, you may as well pet me."

These are my girl friends who threw the shower. Aren't they sweet?!!

Any who, we had a great time and got some really nice gifts last weekend. Of course I'm going to share with you - take a look:
A bouncer chair - which I hear is a must have!! And Diapers and wipes - are so a must have that it's not even funny. When my girl friend gave me these - she said that she hoped that she wasn't giving me the "girl" diapers because if you look close there is a picture of a little black girl on the front of the package. Hmm...I don't think that's it's necessary for the baby to look like the actual baby that is using the diapers - but then again, I've never been a mother before...so..if I'm mistaken, please some body correct me (I don't want poor Riley to think that he is a little black girl!! Ha-ha!!). Sometimes my girl friend is so funny!!


A Jolly Jumper - no longer do you need a door frame. I'm told that Todd was hung from the door frame when he was a baby! We were so poor that we had the door frames - but not jumper.

Riley is going to look so good in his Viking's jersey!! I thought it was so cute that his jersey matches the one's that both Todd and I have!! The only problem is that this is for a 3-6 month old and by football season, he will be closer to 9 months old. We'll have to keep our eyes open for the next size too.

We received so many outfits that I am not going to show them all to you - but these were so cute and coordinated. He can be a frog, a horsey, or a puppy. So cute!!

And what wardrobe would be complete without his "Hugh Heffner" robe and froggy slippers. Sorry this one is on it's side - for the life of me I couldn't get this one to go the other way. Sometimes, that's how life goes and you just have to roll with it. So if you care to see it in portrait format - please turn head to the left until the picture seems to be properly orientated...or feel free to turn the computer screen.. whichever is easier for you :-)

Then the piece de resistance - my girlfriend Nancy (she is the one on the left in the photo at the top of this blog) - knitted Riley this sweater set. Is that cute or what? It was knit all in one piece and only needed to be sewed at the shoulders. It is gorgeous. And I love, love, love the Peter Rabbit buttons. (Again, please turn head as appropriate to allow proper orientation).


I have been knitting too. I made a green sweater for Riley and a white one for my girl friend Val who is due in two weeks. I need to finish the hat for her and the booties for both - but I just wanted to prove that I haven't totally been slacking off: (No I haven't worked on the blanket for a while - but I will start that as soon as the sweaters are done).
Then since it's fall and I got it in my head that I was making a scare crow this year and there was no stopping me (why I get these crazy ideas - I don't know. Todd wants to know as well - but a guy likes to have a little mystery in his life so it may as well come from his wife (wow that was a bit rhymy wasn't it?!!)

So I looked on line for how to make a scare crow because althouth I knew I wanted to do it, I really didn't have any idea how to go about it. I came across this website called, Monkey See (Monkey do) - which was great. It had actual clips on how to make a scarecrow from beginning to end. You use nylons for the face and arms (the leggs - so to speak use use for the arms, the waist of the hose you use for the head. Then you stuff the rest of the clothes and tie the top and bottom together using twine. I bought a mask for the face - because I didn't want to sew or use markers, etc. and found some really big hands that are meant to be put into the ground for Halloween like someone is coming out of a grave.

Here are a couple of pictures taht I took while I was assembling him. I think that it looks like we have an actual dead body on our counter. and a close up of his face. Notice that he doesn't have any eyes. Spooky!!

And here is is out in the front of our house:

We tied his arm up so when the wind blows that it appears like he is waving. I think he's kind of cute. The neighbors asked Todd if that is what he is going to look like when he retires (Of course not, he's going to look exactly like his uncle Terry I thought - but it was too complicated to explain).

I'm B-a-c-k!!!

I haven't blogged since July! And so much has happened since July!! (A lot like why the heck can't get every word in my blog from being underlined?? They must have changed something but heck if I can figure it out??!!&^%$#). No wonder that my MIL and Nancy gave me such a hard time!! So...what have I been up to? I can sum that up to three little words, "Baby, Baby, Baby!" Ok that one word three times, but basically that's where my head has been. We now know that it is a boy. Yay!! (Ok, deep down I wanted a girl, but now I'm more than ok with it. Now I only have to worry about one penis instead of the many that you worry about when you have a girl and she starts dating). He has a name, "Riley Harold." I am now almost 25 weeks along and Riley is now about 1 1/2 pounds (Riley has changed a lot - look at the last ultrasound that we had taken on the right).
I am registered for baby things. Which I will tell you is no simple task!! Who knew that you needed so much stuff for a teeny tiny baby!! We have ordered the lifetime crib and dresser/changing table which should be here in 8-12 weeks (hmmm...let's do the math. I'm 25 weeks + 12 = 37 weeks. We will get it home just in time....hopefully). We bought the mattress and crib set (so cute has tools, etc.). I will show you a picutre when I get it all put together. My MIL bought us a wonderful stroller with a newborn car seat (now we can bring him home from the hospital!! Which is comforting) and a Baby Einstein mobile that plays classical music (oh yah Riley is going to be cultured!). Todd's aunt and cousins got me a breast pump and boppy pillow. Which I am so thrilled about (who knew that such a device would bring such joy? Well it does because this is going to mean that I am going to be able to have a little independance and when I go back to work Riley will still be able to eat). Also who knew that he is changing our lives and he hasn't even been born yet?!! I can't sleep through the night. I can't hardly tie my shoes! My belly has now expanded past Todd's. It seems like everything we do has to something to do with having a baby..grocery shopping to feed him. I'm falling asleep on the couch because of him. And I insist when he kisses me that our bellies touch so that Riley can feel the love too!


Ok, so (what? where's the underlining??? Oh well, let's go with it) we also did some apple picking the other day. An apple a day, keeps the doctor away (Yah right, I go again on October 29th). We had a great time, but let me tell you that I didn't realize how big I'd gotten since I looked at this picture!! Is that an apple woman holding apples?? (good thing I didn't wear red that day!).














We had a great time at the apple farm. Except do you see how small the bags are?? It's only 1/4 peck and I think it was about $15/person. these are the most expensive apples that I've ever eaten!! So the fact that I gorged myself on apples while in the field's don't hurt my feelings one bit!! (Oh I was appled out by the end of it all).

My MIL was down to Illinois for a week in September (of course she came when we got the torrential rains and we had two choices - be stuck in the house or break out the umbrellas!! Plus she caught a terrible cold that she is still recovering from!) and showed me how to make fleece tie blankets. So cute!! I made one for baby Riley and one for my girlfriend from North Carolina.





This one is Riley's - Thomas the Train Engine. I think he will really like it. Good primary colors to look at and trains...so cool.






And this one is for my girlfriend's newborn Kamdyn. I love the bears and the blue makes you look for the one blue bear in the picture. It's like - Where's Waldo in Bears. And of course George had to get into the picture. He's been going through blog with drawl and is wondering if his fans will still remember him properly. So George, whatever you do, this blog's for you!!!

And what else, oh yah I'm also knitting a bit (not a lot I have to admit that I need to get back at it. But....I did start a blanket for Riley. I think it's very cute. Take a look for yourself:
George (What?? the underlining is back!! ARgggg.....) - now let the people see the blanket. Ok I'll show you a close up:I better shower because we are going to the Scarecrow festival in St. Charles because I'm going to make my own scarecrow and I need ideas!! Stay tuned to see our scarecrow extraordinaire!