Christmas Tree/Baby Update

Jason and I went out to find our Christmas tree last week. We had to find a tall skinny one to fit in the living room. It's a little different then the fat ones that we normally get. All we need is a tree topper now! That seems to be something that we say that we are going to get every year, but never do.

The elk rack looked a little silly above the tree, so Jason wrapped it in lights. I think it looks fun!

I came home from work on Sunday to find this awesome fireplace setup. What a surprise! I think it is sweet. Jason even bought the baby his own stocking.


It's official, the baby is full-term! He is still moving like crazy (especially right now!) At the doctors yesterday, she offered to induce me next weekend, if we wanted to. Convenience is really the only reason (and I am so uncomfortable). Apparently my cervix is softened and dilated enough for induction to be an option. As much as I feel that I am cheating the system/nature, it is so nice to know that there is a definite end date! We can't wait to meet the little stinka!

"Waiting is the hardest part."

When one is pregnant, others (especially strangers) share their own pregnancy stories openly. I have heard the comment over and over, "Waiting the last few weeks is the hardest part." I think that it may be true. It's like you know you are going on a vacation, but you don't know when. I always like coming home to a clean house when I leave for vacation, so I am constantly trying to keep up on housework. I want to pack my bags, but come next week, I may want to wear what I want to pack. Errr. It's an uphill battle that I am slowly losing and must come to terms with. Hopefully, he comes soon!

On Thanksgiving the official baby bids went into effect. The closest without going over wins the $$$(each bet is $5). Here is the official list of guesses:


WEIGHT
Mom Williams: 9lbs 10oz (Are you trying to kill me?)
Dad Williams: 8lbs 13 oz
Mom Condliffe: 8lbs 4oz
Jan: 7lbs 3oz
Andy-Jim: 7lbs 8oz
Ashley: 8lbs 2oz
Laura: 8lbs 10oz
Brian: 8lbs 3oz
Brian's second guess: 9lbs 3oz
Jason: 8lbs 7oz
Dad Sicher: 8lbs 11oz
David C: 9lbs 1oz

DATE
Mom Williams: Dec 30
Dad Williams: Dec 20
Mom Condliffe: Dec 24
Jan: Dec 31
Andy-Jim: Jan 1
Ashley: Dec 15
Laura: Dec 13
Brian: Dec 17
Jason: Jan 5
Dad Sicher: Jan 3
David C: Dec 25

Studio Pictures

As crazy as we are, we set up the studio in the garage the day after Thanksgiving to get some family portraits in. Although we had the kerosene heater going, it was freezing in there! I thought I would share them with all of you. I especially like the Dowiak portrait!

The Sedlacek Kids (Neighbors):


The Dowiak Family:


Us!:

Life...

I can't really say that there is one certain thing that stands out in my mind from the past couple of weeks. Time just keeps on going. We had a little excitement on Sunday when I got home from work. Jason wanted to go spot-lighting at the end of our road. Apparently there is a "massive buck" that hangs out down there. No buck, but we did see a huge fire. We now know it was a garage on fire. I don't think the picture really does it justice. The fire lit up the sky. I am not sure, but I don't think anyone was hurt and the main house didn't look like it was in any danger. You can see the house to the left of the brightest part of the fire (it looks like 4 small rectangles.)



I have had a couple portrait sessions recently. I was lucky enough to meet Zolola (I am sure I am not spelling that right) and got to see Polina again. Unfortunately, it decided to open up and pour on us. Nonetheless, we were able to squeak out a couple of good shots.



Most recently, I took pictures of the Arlia boys. I have to admit, I didn't recognize Anthony at first. He really grew up fast. I refer to these boys as the GQ toddlers. They are so handsome!


Everything is going well with the pregnancy. I had a little scare last week with getting contractions every 3-4 minutes apart on Monday. I didn't think it was a big deal, but I called my doctor anyway and they had me come in the next day. Everything is fine, and there is no dilation yet, but she still demanded me to take it easy. Along with that meant light duty at work. Blah...chart audits are so very painful! I had to admit though, I feel a lot more energized and have had a lot less contractions after this past weekend. I now have to see the doctor every week. Jason and I went today. Apparently, which I already assumed, the babies head is really low. With a head in my pelvis, I am officially waddling.

Showered On

Today was the "work baby shower." It was awesome! Danielle did an amazing job putting it all together. The details were entertaining and festive. There is so much to say about it, including the Theresa surprise, the great food, and so much more. I have to say, I am completely exhausted, so we'll have to leave it at that. I didn't have a good picture that really captured the whole thing (I think Josie may have a good one of those on her camera), so here's just a picture of me opening gifts. I will put the rest on snapfish. When they are up, I'll post the link.



After the shower, I went to see Autumn all dressed up as a mermaid. She did a good job trick-or-treating.




Last week was my family's shower. It went really well. Once again, we were spoiled with people's generosity. Here's the link to my mother-in-laws picture site, if you would like to see the pictures! http://albums.phanfare.com/1202977/2913977

It's bedtime for now! Soooooo sleepy.

Knuckles

Knuckles the puppy came over for a visit this past Friday. Her mom, Gita, is in the process of painting a mural of Marabelle and Sadie in the baby's room. I love these two pictures! I think this may be my next project, getting cool shots of dogs. Feel free to bring your pup over and get some pictures! (You'll have to help me drag equipment around though.)



This week I have been hard at work getting things ready for the baby shower. Mom was over here almost all day yesterday running errands and making curtains.

Jason got a coyote and a piglet of a doe this week with his bow. It'll be some good deer eating for us now.

In over my head...

Wondering where we have been? I have been wondering where all the time has gone. These past few weeks have been CRAZY! Dad finally came around to install some new lights in the kitchen...which led to massive holes in the wall. It turns out whoever wired this house originally didn't do it right and left some pretty dangerous connections hidden beneath the drywall. So a small hole to fish wire turned into a large 4 foot section being removed. I have to say though, it was all worth it. It is so nice to walk in the door and be able to flip a switch and see! (Oh, and we wondered what the switch went to for the longest time. It went to nothing! Just a switch not connected to anything.) So, for a period of time, there was no entrance into the kitchen without doing acrobatic moves, of which I am not too fond of at the present time. Now the kitchen is put back together and the dust has settled, literally. This house is a mess! Now it's time to clean this house from top to bottom.

I have also shot the last two weddings of the season these past two Fridays. It feels so good to be done with the shooting part of the weddings, but now is the tedious post-production part. I have to touch up all the pictures and then put lots of albums together. It's a process and I am getting slightly anxious about getting everything done before the baby gets here.

Talking about baby...here's the latest belly shot. This was from last week (28 weeks). Jason, Autumn and I all went to the doctors this past Monday. Autumn sort of understood that she heard a heartbeat and on the way out of the room she said, "That was fun." I am happy to report that I have gained 20lbs and by the measurement of my uterus (from the outside), I am right on track. Jason still thinks this is going to be an 8lbs+ baby. So help me god if it is.


Here's just a cute picture of crazy Sadie lady.


Today was the Fiestaware sale. Dad, Jason, Brian, Laura and Laura's Mom all went. We REALLY don't need any more dishes. But, if you know Jason at all, you can imagine how many dishes we came home with. I have no idea where all of this dishware is going to go. Dad got a couple nice dish sets for himself and Katie. It is a long day for sure, but it's fun to hunt for the plate/bowl/platter/anything with the least amount of defects on it.

Jason has been in hunting and work mode. I appreciate that this season is only a few months out of the year!