First Vacation

Saturday, June 2 was a day I had been looking forward to and yet dreading for months.  It was the day I was to take James on a plane ride.  Solo.

It's not that terrible scenarios were playing out in my head- instead it was a big question mark.  Basically, what was going to go wrong?  Would his ears bother him?  Would he get a poopy diaper?  Would I be comfortable enough to nurse on the plane?  How would I hold the baby, collapse the stroller, AND cover it?  What illness would James contract during our flight?  A simple cold?  Tuberculosis?  Would I need to hand my baby to a stranger?  Annoying, right?  These questions haunted me whenever I thought about our flight.  But, surprisingly, the plane ride was uneventful; to answer my questions- nothing, no, no, yes, a kind stranger would cover the stroller, none, nope, nope, no.  All of that worrying for nothing!

We landed in Atlanta ready to spend time with my friend Beth and her 3 month old son Christopher.

 It was the boys' first time meeting. They hit it off right away- talking about bugs, dirt, and trucks.

They  had a lot of fun swimming together, listening to books and songs, going to the library, shopping with their moms, and chilling at the Farmer's Market. 

The trip was much different from last year, but it was fun to hang out as moms and watch our little babes become best friends!  All in all, a nice relaxing vacation!

 Thanks for hosting us, Beth, Ben, Christopher, and Bentley!

Weeks 12-14: Breaking the News

Kyle and I rock at keeping secrets.  We kept our baby-on-the-way a secret for two months!  Initially it was tough to not tell anyone about the babe, but then it became second nature- just something we didn't mention.  However, as we neared the end of the first trimester- we new it was FINALLY time to break our news.  Luckily, my side of the family was having a get together towards the end of week 12, so we had our chance to tell everyone.  
Our plan for telling my immediate family was to give my dad a onesie as a birthday present.  He opened it late Saturday night after a family party (hence the tables set up in the living room).  Feel free to enjoy the conversation about fleas, ticks, and chiggers we had as he opens the present.  What can I say- we're from Eureka!  My apologies about the lighting, but hopefully you'll enjoy the reactions as much as we do! 

 

The next day we went out to lunch with Kyle's parents, Caitlin, and grandpa.  After we had all ordered, Laura opened a 'late late birthday gift' from Kyle and I.   Lots of tears, hugging, and eating chips and salsa ensued after the filming of this video. 

We kept with the same theme for telling out-of-town friends. I have been known to ship random gifts every now and then, so sending packages was a no brainer.   Each package contained  a white onesie and a note saying "Baby coming October 2011..... seriously." 

After telling close friends and family, we waited about a week and told coworkers.  There are officially three Ridgeway babies on the way at school.  So I'm in good company, and there are plenty of people to talk baby with which is good since I'm officially obsessed with all of it.  The only people who are out of the loop (and will hopefully stay out of the loop for a while) are the kids at school.  I'm taking the advice of waiting as long as possible to tell them.  I already get off on tangents when they ask me about the dogs; my tangents would be 58 times longer if it was a question about the baby!

So now you know how we broke the news!  We hope to update you weekly with our most recent baby 'projects' and bump photos.  

Love, 

Brenda, Kyle, and a Baby-on-the-Way