2 Weeks?

Baby Norton is due in 29 days!!!!  

As of today, I started weekly appointments.   I have already started to dilate.  (Wait, this is suddenly kind of scary)  The doctor mentioned that we could be proud new parents within the next couple of weeks.  

I got hooked up on a monitor today for 15 minutes to record the baby's heart rate, his movement and contractions.  All seems to be well.

The most amazing thing was today's ultrasound.   We actually got a glimpse of the baby's facial features.  We could see his eyes, nose and lips as though he were looking right at us.  The radiologist even mentioned that he has a head of hair.  We saw his clenched little fists (fingers and all) that were tucked up right near his face and we could see each little toe on his feet.  Oh no!  It appears he may have Jeff's horrible feet!  (Sorry, Little Guy!)

The technician actually spent a lot of time looking at the baby for us - unlike that last experience with the Ultrasound Nazi.  Here is a picture of the baby's face.  Not quite as impressive as it was in person.  The ultrasound picked up a lot more shadows than what we could see on the screen - - but you'll get the idea.  

I'm very much looking forward to my baby shower.  Can't wait to see everyone! 

More House Stuff...

We loved Patty's work so much from the nursery that we also enlisted her to paint our master bedroom sitting area and the master bath. Until we move the TV in our bedroom to another wall, we can not paint the master bedroom. Hopefully that won't take to long. The sitting area and master bath are a deep chocolate color with gold leaves hand painted all over the walls. The bathroom and (eventually) the bedroom are a creamy-tan color wall with no stencil detail. It came out gorgeous - and a simple picture does not do the room justice.

Additionally, Patty painted "quotes" for us in the master bathroom and in the foyer.

So now there are only TWO bathrooms, two and-a-half bedrooms and a kitchen to update.

We've just started the ball rolling on our kitchen remodel - - It should be done right about the time I'm due!! Stay tuned for the updates!

Swollen

It's hard to put into words what "swollen" really means.

It's a GIANT!

Well, I was hoping to have an ultrasound photo to share with you for today's post - but the technician wasn't as giving as the others. She was all business!

With only 45 days to go, the baby is weighing in at 5 lbs, 13 oz. - - This weight is considered to be a little bit on the big size - and what the Dr. would have expected to see about 2 weeks from now.
- I begged the Dr. to please not let me have anything bigger than 8lbs 4 oz (this is what Dylan weighed). As of now, there is no plan to change the due date, but we will be watching the babies weight moving forward.

All else is going good. My biggest complaint is that the baby is resting heavily on my bladder. He is head-down and will most likely remain in that position until I deliver.

Today was the first day that I could not wear my wedding ring. While my feet have been swollen since early July, my fingers are now porky, too. It's definitely weird not to have my ring on.

The countdown has begun. The end is near. Please let it come fast!!

Baby Norton's Room

Well, one more room in this house is complete. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a kitchen to go - but who's counting?

Baby Norton has a dog-themed room. - - No this does not mean run out and buy a bunch of dog things. Seriously. Parker is enough inspiration around here when it comes to dogs. :)

Our good friend and Realtor recommended a great painter to come in and design the room for us. She did a great job. One wall is turquoise and has the dog painted on it with polk-a-dots all over the wall. The other three walls are blue with a cloud-like texture. On each of the walls there are dog sayings like "fetch", "wiggle", "sniff" and "woof". There are also dog footprints around window and door areas. We are very pleased. The room turned out great!

With only a couple months to go, this is one less thing that we have to worry about pulling together in preparation for the arrival of Baby Norton.

Best of the West Series - Dirt Diggers MC - Starwest

As part of Dylan's participation in the Best of the West series, he raced one of 3 motocross events yesterday.  It was a very long day for us.  

Dylan wanted time to practice on the Starwest track before the race.  The track had open riding from 9a-2p.  To assure that we would be to the track by 9a, we left our house just after 7a.  Jeff's friend Chris Porrett met us at the track to get some riding in with Dylan.  

The day was a hot one!  I recall it getting up to 106 degrees.  The boys could only ride about 15 minutes at a time and would return to "camp" drenched in sweat.  Luckily we had the motorhome to escape to.  It was nice having air conditioning on such a hot day.  

Sign-ups began around 2p but Dylan's race didn't start until 8p.  By this time, the temperature had dropped into the low 80s and we had the benefit of a nice breeze.  

Dylan took the overall win in his class.  He was awesome!  He made riding the track look so easy.  Finally it seems that his time with Marty Smith in motocross camp the last couple of years paid off.

While the motorhome was nice to retreat to during the day, it was a bit of a disadvantage when we wanted to leave.  Unfortunately we had to wait for some cars around us to leave before we could move - so we stayed until 11p - and made it home just after midnight.  

It was a really long day - but definitely worth it to see Dylan ride so well!!  I'll never forget the grin he had when he finished the race.  He was smiling ear to ear.  It's these moments that remind us why we love being a part of his hobby.

Getting Started

With so much going on in our lives and so many people always asking what we've been up to, it seems like a blog might be a good way to keep people in touch and up to date. Hopefully I will stay motivated to keep this blog updated on a regular basis.

A little update to get started with:
Dylan is in summer school. He'll be entering his Junior year of high school next year. Dylan races motocross and keeps us very busy with his race schedule. We love being a part of his hobby!! Dylan recently got his learner's permit. (Actually, he's out driving with his instructor as I type this!)

Jeff is still working for Lexus. He was recently promoted to Customer Satisfaction Manager for the Western Area. Luckily his new position keeps him home during the week. It's nice to have him home every night. He stays very busy helping Dylan and keeping the house in working order. (Thanks, babe!)

I am working at Mindshare/Team Detroit on the California Ford business. It's weird to think I've been in the auto/advertising business now for 13 years. Where has the time gone?

As you can tell by the ticker I posted on the site, I am nearing my due date. This stomach of mine is starting to get awkward and uncomfortable. It's going to be a long 2 months!

We have 3 dogs, but you'll probably only hear of one - - Parker!! Parker is my pride and joy. He really can do no wrong - I mean, just look at him!!

.....Okay, here we go..... One blog down ? to go!