Oh...and Baby McReynolds is...

....the size of a cantaloupe...
But...what I can't figure out is...why does my belly look like there is a watermelon in there!??!?!
Just kidding...I know why....but it is still amusing! :)

Back from Texas...swollen feet and all

Well...I am experiencing my second set of swollen feet. In April, my left foot swelled one day after being on my feet too long....but on Friday and currently....both are puffed out like sausages. I could blame it on the plane ride to and from Texas...but I think majority of the blame lies in the fact that I did WAY too much this weekend...but LOVED every minute of it and would not have done anything differently!!! We flew to Texas on Friday and spent the day with Clint's parents. We had dinner and spent the evening with "Aunt Heather, Uncle Victor and cousins - Jaydon, Jacalyn, Jonathan and Jakob". It was great to see everyone! Saturday morning, Clint and I went to Kristin Greenlee's for maternity photographs. We are excited to see how all the pictures turned out!!! I then went to my baby shower at Mandy Lucke's house, which was absolutely incredible! And that evening we had dinner at Michael and Elizabeth Gallian's house (a fabulous brisket cooked on the BGE!) and went to the Texas Rangers baseball game (Rangers: 14, A's: 1!!!). We flew home first thing this morning and I promptly changed and went to Amanda Rupert's baby shower.

MORE LATER!!!! I will post more about the maternity pics and the shower once I get some pics to post! :)
Now it is time for a nap....

Another great check-up!!

Melissa had a good check-up at the doctor this morning. Weighed in, got BP and HR checked, heard the baby’s HR (140) and got the fundal length measured (32 cm...still right on track since this was the 32 week appointment!). Next apppointment is in two weeks! Appointments are getting closer together now! 53 days left before our due date!

A large jicama??

We just got our weekly email from BabyCenter.com (a great website to join when you are expecting!!!). The weekly update for Week 32 says that baby McReynolds should be approximately 16.7 inches long and 3.75 pounds....about the size of a large jicama!?!?!?!? Not having heard of that before, we went to wikipedia to determine what it was:


Jicama is one species in the genus Pachyrhizus that is commonly called yam bean, although the "yam bean" sometimes is another name for Jicama. The other, major species of yam beans are also indigenous within the Americas. It very much tastes like a sweet pea pod.


VERY FUNNY way to describe the size of our baby in the womb!!!!

What an awesome week!

We don't even know where to start. This past week was amazing!!! Clint went to Vegas to spend some time with his good friend Michael, while Melissa finished up her MBA school work here at home. Then, on Mother's Day, Melissa's parents arrived from North Carolina. It was a great day to celebrate "almost being" a "Mom" with her Mom! It was relaxing and enjoyable for all. Then, the hard work started on Monday. So many projects were started and completed throughout the week....too many to name! Diaper Inserts were sewn, a toilet was fixed, a fan was replaced, our kitchen backsplash was tiled, over 60 two-person meals were made for the freezer AND the nursery was completed (it's all ready for Baby McReynolds to move in!). We're probably missing some projects....but the point is...so much was accomplished this week! We are so thankful and appreciative for the help, support and love from Melissa's parents!!! Thank you Mom and Dad!!!

Here are a few pictures of the meals (only about half is shown!):


And a few of the finished nursery (Click on the pictures to make them larger):





In addition, Melissa and her Mom were thoroughly educated in the art of breastfeeding. Angel, a sweet and generous lady from church, came over for two hours on Thursday to tell us stuff that no one else would about the process. Overwhelming as it was, all her tricks and tips will definitely come in handy this July!! Thank you Angel!!!

The week concluded with a great celebration over in Birmingham - Melissa graduated from MBA school. Clint's parents flew in from Texas and we all enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Brio's before graduation. Samford Brock School of Business knows how to do "pomp and circumstance"!! It was a very nice ceremony and the party afterwards at the Lohrke's was fantastic! It was a very special day for our family and we felt very blessed to have everyone together to celebrate!



We are also thankful for Nonnie and Pop McReynolds for getting the Pack and Play off our registry! Clint assembled it on Sunday morning and we are certain that it will come in handy when Baby McReynolds gets home, as well as when we travel. It has a great bassinet and changing table built in. Of course, it has the obligatory sounds and music player so we can all get our fill of the ocean, birds chirping and baby lullabies.

Glider, Vegas and Family!!

We ordered the glider for the nursery last weekend and received notification that it should arrive this Tuesday! That will be the final piece of furniture to make the nursery complete. We selected the Dutailier 611 UltraMotion Sleigh Back Glider. As we live in an area that does not have the shopping for this type of thing, we have to rely on the internet reviews of products such as this one. It looks comfortable in the picture....and it received nothing but great reviews.



Clint left for Vegas this morning. He is meeting his best friend from high school, Michael Gallian, there. This trip is somewhat of a tradition....as they met there in 2007 a few months before Michael's first baby was born. Much fun will be had prior to our baby arriving in a couple of months!!!

Melissa's parents are headed this way tomorrow. It will be nice to spend Mother's Day with them! They will be here for the week and we're certain it will be a productive one, as always! Plans are in place to sew diaper inserts, finish up the diaper wet bags, and put art/etc. up on the nursery walls. In addition, they will be here to receive the contractor who is going to tile the backsplash in our kitchen. It will be great having them here...one final visit before the center of attention shifts to the future little man of the house! Clint's parents are traveling to Alabama this week too. They will arrive on Thursday to visit some more Alabama-family and then celebrate with us as Melissa graduates from MBA school on Friday.

Should be a fabulous week!!!

A full Friday

Yesterday, Melissa (and the baby) had the day off from work. After sleeping in, the day exploded into a whole lot of fun! First stop - lunch at Brio's with a couple of girlfriends from school. We ate outside....so the atmosphere was beautiful, the food was fabulous, but the company was even better. The next stop was Samford University for an honors ceremony. Then began the whirlwind Birmingham shopping tour! Erin and Melissa only hit a couple of stores....but they were well worth it! The stops included Babies R Us and the Carter's Outlet mall. With Erin's help, Melissa fulfilled an item on the baby registry at Babies R Us, and picked out over $110 worth of baby boy outfits for just over $30 at Carter's!!!
To the left is a recent picture of Melissa's belly. Erin and Melissa had a good laugh about being able to park in the "Expectant Moms ONLY" parking spot at Babies R Us!