1 month old!

Our little Tax deduction is 1 month old!

The tree that Grandma Clark made in the nursery!













It is amazing how fast time really does go by! We can not believe that Parker is already 1 month old! Today marks 4 weeks for him and he is 9 pounds!!! He is growing like crazy! Here are some photos of our time with Grandma & Grandpa Clark! We took Parker to the GA aquarium and he was awake for part of it. He loved looking up at the lights above us!
The time was special with my parents and we got so much done around the house. Grandma Clark took some special time and made a tree on Parker's wall to add some more character to the Mural!If you look closely you can see a ladder with his name on steps, hanging from the tree!
The cross-stitch on the wall was made special by Grandma Riese! It is nice to finally have the nursery all put together! Not alot of time any more to work on it! Parker keeps me busy!
The time was special and I am so glad that we got to see my parents for the week and a half that they were here!
Blessings to you all! Jenn, Mike and Parker Riese :)

I am 3 weeks old!

Parker is 3 weeks old and on a growth spurt!

He is sleeping sometimes as long as 4-5 hours and he had 1 night where he ate every 2 hours!

• The first photo is of him sleeping on Sunday while were eating brunch!
  
• (Picture 2) My dad is feeding Parker a bottle (to give mommy a break, so I did not have to go off and feed him)
  
• (Picture 3) The bradford Pear tree being cut down by my dad and Mike! They are discussing how the last part of it will fall!
  

We have LOVED having Grandma and Grandpa Clark here!

My dad has gone to work and put new tile flooring in our master bath and the big event, was cutting down the 14 year old Bradford Pear tree! It was sad to see it go, but my dad saved us almost $300.00 to get it down. The trees have about a 14 year life expectancy, and we did not want to risk it snapping any time soon (like our neighbors did recently!)
We have had fun with Parker and gone out quite a bit! Tomorrow it looks like we will be going to the GA. Aquarium!
Mike is back to work and anxiously awaiting his annual PWC softball tournament! It is the 28-30th of this month and he will be going to Tuscan,AZ!
We can not believe how fast the time has gone already!
It is a joy to share these moments with you all!
Blessings,
Mike, Jenn & Parker

2 weeks old and growing strong!

Parker is 2 weeks old and doing great!

(Daddy was watching Parker on Tuesday night...so mommy could go play Bunko!)

(Photo of his first bath with Grandma Riese!)

Parker is now 8lbs and 10 oz!
His Pediatrician was thrilled with his weight gain and I am glad to know that he is doing so well with the breastfeeding. He latched right on and it has been so great for me too! I only have 7 more pounds to go and all my pregnancy weight will be off! ( It is the toning of the body and getting it back in shape that is interesting.) It is true that the "baby fat" all goes to other places! I am thrilled to have Parker and he was worth it all!
We are still doing well with the nights. He does almost 4 hours stretches and is very content.
Grandma Riese made him fall in love with the bath! (The photo of his first bath does not show this to be true!)...He was not sure what to think!...He doesn't cry anymore!!! He gets one every other day! I would give him one every day, but his Dr. said every other day for now!
Today is a big day for Parker...he will get to meet Grandma and Grandpa Clark! My parents are flying in tonight and staying for 10 days! We are looking forward to the visit! I know we will do some fun projects (hopefully new tile floor in the masterbath installed by Grandpa Clark) and get in some trips to special places and maybe a little shopping too!
I still do not miss teaching...Parker is keeping me busy!!! I miss my co-workers but they have been great about staying in touch and visiting! In the meantime I stay busy getting stuff done when he is sleeping!
More photos to come once Grandma and Grandpa Clark arrive!
Jenn

Parker is 1 week old!

We have had a wonderful first week with Parker!
We are crossing our fingers and praying that the 6-7 hours of sleep will stay a while! He only gets up 2 times a night to eat! We have a very happy boy and he only cries to get his diaper changed or eat! We feel very blessed!
I keep telling Grandma and Grandpa Riese that he is just putting on a show until they leave! But I have been told that this is probably how he really will be! We are more and more in love with Baby Parker each day and Big Poppy and Daddy love to discuss that he is "just a little guy!"
Tomorrow Grandma and Grandpa Riese leave! We have been so spoiled and I can just say it was a real blessing having them here the whole 2 weeks! I have gotten rest and by day 4 we were out and about with Parker!
He made it to his daddy's softball game last night! His first softball game to attend....(and he slept the whole time!)
He is happy and so easy going...it has made the shopping adventures fun and enjoyable for mommy and Grandma Riese!
It is still so surreal to us and hard to believe that a week and 1/2 ago he was still in my womb! But it is so precious to finally have him here and in our arms!
We will post more soon and hope you enjoy watching him grow as much as we do!
Blessings to all,
Jenn, Mike and Parker :)

Photos from the Birth of Parker!

It's a boy!

We are parents to a healthy baby boy!!

Parker Wilson Clark Riese
August 20, 2007
6:55pm
8lbs, 20 inches

Mom and baby are doing well.
Dad's in awe, Parker is happy and content.
And, Mom is thrilled to have no more heartburn!



Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers the last 9 months.

More photos will be posted shortly.

Delivery Day!

We are at Kennestone Hospital and Jenn is in Labor! The Petocin has started and sometime today Baby Riese will arrive. We look forward to sharing the news soon with you all!
Keep Jenn in your prayers for a safe and healthy delivery...(so far all was great last night with the monitors and she got a good 5 hours of sleep!)
Happy Monday to all of you!
Mike, Jenn and very soon Baby Riese

The latest news and preparations for Baby Riese's arrival!

Just got back from my OB! (Today was my last OB visit before Baby Riese's arrival!)
I am 1 cm diallated and 85% effaced. Baby Riese may come yet this week! I have started having some small contractions (and the braxton hicks have been going on for a few weeks!) If baby does not come by Sunday 8/19, then we go to the hospital on Sunday night at 7:30 for a scheduled induction! (We are currently #2 of 4 scheduled inductions!) So hopefully there will be a room available. A lot could happen in the next 4 days...and everyone still has their guess on the day Baby Riese will arrive. Grandma and Grandpa Riese arrive on Saturday afternoon, so baby Riese may be waiting for their arrival!
In the meantime, we have gotten a lot done! We cleaned the carpets last weekend (can you tell I am "nesting") got the nursery all done...(I will post photos once baby is here!) and ordered the changing table! (It has been on back order!) Mike got the swing and Pack & Play set up downstairs. Now the latest preparation for Baby Riese's arrival...we made a purchase at Costco for a Leather Recliner! Mike said it would be the perfect "downstairs" rocker! It goes really well with our furniture and we were pleased with the deal! (Not to mention, it is a gift for Mike! I convinced him to use a little portion of his upcoming bonus on it! He deserves it for the hard work he did this past year!)

So we sound like we are ready...but are any first time "parents" really ready? I can only imagine the adventure that is just around the corner! I am very thankful for the help that Mom & Dad Riese will give us and my parents the beginning of September!
We will keep you posted.

Next Monday, we will have photos for sure of Baby Riese!
So nice to see the end is near!
Blessings,
Jenn (Mike ) and Baby Riese

Baby Riese could be here any day!

I had my 37 week checkup yesterday!
I got surprising news: I am already 80% effaced!(Only 20% to go!) Meaning the dialation is just around the corner. Baby Riese is not going to wait around for the end of Aug. to arrive.
My OB predicts "1 week" or so! She told me to pack my bags! (I haven't!) So it is on my agenda today! The process of labor is something totally out of our control and she said..."alot can happen in 1 day!" Ok, so she convinced me that Baby Riese is coming soon!!!
Mike is being very alert to my text messages and phone calls! He had a very BUSY week last week and worked a good 100 hours! He has that behind him and now he is back to a 9-6 schedule! AMEN! I am very thankful that his company is giving him 3 weeks off with pay for "maternity leave!"
Mom and Dad Riese arrive next Saturday (Aug.18th) we will see what the status of Baby Riese is! Baby R may want to greet them at the house instead of the hospital!
We will keep you all posted.
In the meantime...the GA heat is nasty and I am staying indoors or visiting big department stores that are nice and cold! I have 1 thing scheduled each day to do, so I don't go crazy!!!
Anxiously awaiting Baby Riese,
Jenn & Mike

The latest on Baby Riese

Here is Baby Riese at 36 weeks...a nice close up! (This is a 4-D image,that we got as a free compliment of my OB office!)
The good news is that I do not have to have a scheduled c-section. Baby Riese has slowed down on the growth spurt. (Most likely will still be good size at birth!)
As of right now Baby Riese is 6 lbs and 7 oz! If no baby by Aug. 20th, then I will induced to hopefully have no bigger then a 9 lb baby! In the meantime we are enjoying the last 3 weeks together.
We will keep you posted as we await the arrival of our little bundle of joy!
Jenn,Mike and Baby Riese

The countdown to Baby Riese's arrival begins...

August 20th (my tentative due-date) is just around the corner and we are making progress for the baby! I am officially 36 weeks pregnant and scary to say...but Baby Riese could be here in 2 weeks or so!
We just got the glider for the nursery! It came on Friday! Mike put it together in 20 minutes. It was one of the faster items to assemble and that was encouraging. I love the glider and so glad that we got a great deal on it. Not to mention all the gift-cards from friends & family for Babies-R-Us, really helped. We paid less then $20.00 for it, because of all the gift cards! We are very appreciative for them all!
Now for the changing table...once we have it the nursery will be basically done! (Of course there are many other things I will eventually want to add... toy box and book shelf!

I just got back Friday, from TN. I went to Knoxville,TN. to see my best friend Joy. She is 25 weeks pregnant and wanted to get registered. It was a nice 3 days together, and our last time before we are officially "Mom's"
Tuesday we are back to the OB for Ultra-sound #4 (to see how big baby has gotten) and then we will know a good idea as to when Baby Riese should tentatively be here! I am ready and my nights are not so peaceful anymore. Can't wait to finally have Baby here !(lol) Will my (our) nights every be peaceful sleeps again? Doesn't matter...it is all a "desired joy" that we are ready for!

(The photos are from my time with Joy and the glider in the nursery!)

Happy August (almost) to all!
Jenn, Mike & Baby Riese

The Nursery Mural is complete!

We live in one of the top 10 towns in the U.S!!

Did you know that Kennesaw,GA. made it as one of the best towns to live in that is "Family Friendly?!"


Just thought we'd share this exciting news!
We actually had no idea-until we saw the sign downtown about being one of the top 10. So Mike researched it and we were impressed!
Come join us anytime!
Blessings to you all,
Jenn, Mike and Baby Riese

36 weeks

Here is a photo of me at my neighborhood baby shower (and most recent)! The shower was put on by the ladies I play Bunko with! Once again, we were blessed with many more items for Baby Riese...including my swing!!
I am all baby (as you can see) and very ancy for Baby Riese to arrive. 4 Weeks today or less! We have another ultra-sound on July 31 to make a decision as to when Baby should come and how to have baby Riese arrive.
We will keep you posted!
Blessings to all,
Jenn, Mike and Baby Riese

Abbey's guest for the week...

We have a special guest for the week!
Meet Bailey...he is a 14 week old westie. His mom and Dad are on vacation and we are the sitters for the week! (He is keeping us busy,But we are having fun!)
Abbey likes to play and then there are times she just wants to lounge around and do her daily routine-and not be bothered by a puppy!
Bringing back memories of our first few months with Abbey!
Blessings,
Jenn,Mike and especially Abbey

Counting down!

Today is July 9th and a special "Happy Birthday to Nana Riese in NY!"
If we go by my NEW Due date (Aug. 20th)...we are down to 41 days!Amazing how fast time has really flown by!
We are TRYING to get ready for Baby Riese (as you can see!) The nursery is a storage room so far and we are waiting for part of the crib to arrive (that was broken)! Once it comes we will get rolling on the rest. About 90% of the baby items we have are because of the baby showers we have had for Baby Riese! Words can not express how grateful we have been for the gifts and blessings we are receiving!
I am at the phase where my stomach is getting bigger each week and I am not able to eat as much...I have to eat little bits now! Baby Riese is really growing and I am not really gaining much more weight. It is all going to "BIG" Baby Riese! (I think Baby Riese will be at or just above 9 lbs!) We might be doing a poll! (Mike was 10 lbs. 14 oz...so it will be interesting!)
Here are some of the interesting things I have discovered with this first pregnancy:
1.I am a chocoholic and Baby Riese is not (Chocolate has given me heartburn!)
2.Ladies have been great in public restrooms and always say "You go ahead!" I use to stick my stomach way out...and now I don't they just have pity on me and gladly let me have the next stall!
3. GA. heat does make a pregnant ladies ankles swell...if you are outside all day! (I have only had them swell 2 times!)
4. My blood pressure is better being pregnant?! Hmm! (106/68)
5. Never was a big Mexican food lover...but now I am.
6. Always hated OJ-and it has been a morning drink for the past 7 months.
7. All major department store bathrooms are in the children's section!
8. Sleeping was the best 2nd trimester (not so great anymore)!
9. Kicks in the womb are the most incredible feeling.
10. Coupons for baby are exciting to get in the mail.
So many more interesting things...these are just a few thought I have had the past few months. I will have another sonogram the last week of July to see how BIG baby Riese and gotten and we will make a decision then...when Baby Riese should arrive!
In the meantime I am enjoying these last few days and staying busy.
Blessings to you all,
Jenn, Mike & Baby Riese

Check out my Slide Show!

5 Years today!

Happy Anniversary, Mike!
I love you and I am so excited to be here today celebrating 5 years of marriage!
WOW! Brings back great memories of today!
Looking forward to many more memories with you!

XO

Update

Mike and I are in NY visiting with his family! It has been so relaxing and enjoyable!
My sonogram went very well on Wed. and was exactly what my Dr. was predicting! Baby Riese (at 30 weeks) was 4 and 1/2 lbs. and measuring to be 33 weeks along! Lots of hair already..might explain all the heartburn I have had the last few months! At this point,my OB is planning to enduce me around 38 weeks (which would be between the 16-20th of Aug.)I will have another sonogram the end of July to see how much more weight baby has gained! If Baby Riese is really big, then we might just have a c-section! I am fine either way...we just want a healty baby! Anything to have the baby earlier too! Mom and Dad Riese plan to arrive in GA on the 18th of Aug. so that should be just about right!
The family had a baby shower for me on Saturday here! It was wonderful 26 ladies came and we were blessed with TONS of items off of my registries, clothes, books and Mike's favorite...3 Baby SU onesies!!! We narrowed down 1 to bring the baby home in!
I will post photos and keep you all posted with the news and growth of Baby Riese!
Blessings to all,
Jenn, Mike and Baby Riese
PS. Happy 52nd Birthday today to Dad Riese (future Papa Riese!)

Happy 1st Birthday Sam!

Today my nephew Sam (in Canada) is 1!!!
WOW-hard to believe. It was so precious to see him @ 6 weeks old out there. He is getting so big already!

Uncle Mike and Aunt Nenny hope you have a wonderful 1st birthday! We love you!
Aunt Nenny and Uncle Mike

YEAH!

I passed the test!

No News is GOOD News!

It is 3:00 and no call from my OB. office yet! No news so far IS good news! If I do not hear from them by 5:00, then I have successfully passed my diabetes test!
Today is my relaxing day!!
I have been busy and on the go all week. I chose to do nothing today, but a few litte jobs. A big chore is my thank you notes from last weeks shower. So far, I am making some progress! I have another baby shower next Saturday (June 23) with the family up in NY, so the sooner I get these thank-you notes out of the way...the better!
Looking forward to a nice weekend with Mike!
Blessings,
Jenn, Mike and Baby Riese

My 29 week check-up!

Here is the latest photo of me at 29 weeks! (It was from my baby shower on Saturday, that some of my co-workers threw. It was wonderful and the stuff we got was a real blessing!)
Today,I had the ever so famous...gestational diabetes test! (You can see the lovely little orange-looking soda drink!)I will find out Friday if I passed. My DR. is not to worried and was proud that I had not gained any weight since my last visit 4 weeks ago! I got an "A" for the day from her. I hear it is hard to keep the weight down in the last tri-mester so I felt great about that! I have only gained 24 pounds thus far and it would be great to do no more then 30, but we will see!
I got some BIG news today! I have a new due date...Aug. 20th! I was originally due, Aug. 25th! My O.B. upped my due-date by 5 days. I am also measuring BIG! So, the other big news is we get to have another Ultra-sound on Wed. June 20th! YEAH! We get to see Baby Riese again. My Dr. will be looking to see how BIG baby really is and/or if it my uterus that is measuring me "bigger." I am measuring closer to a 31 week pregnancy. So if all this means a shorter pregnancy...AMEN. Everything else was fine!
We are looking forward to seeing Baby Riese for the 3rd time! I will keep you posted on Baby News!
We are off to NY. on the 20th, following my ultra-sound. Looking forward to a nice 10 day stay!!
Blessings to all of you,
Jennifer, Mike and Baby Riese

Sunburn!!

I was in the sun tooooooo long yesterday and now I am paying for it!
I know how sensitive your skin is when you are pregnant...and looks like every 30 minutes I will have to re-apply the sunblock! I forgot to yesterday, and was enjoying the floatee I was on. My friend Samantha came over and we just layed in the pool! OUCH! My legs hurt today! No sun for awhile for me! (Stupid me!) Live and learn. Baby of course is fine (since my stomach was not exposed at all!) I am taking tylenol and drinking my liquids!
So summer officially arrived for me on Tuesday @ 10:00 AM! I was all done and do not regret it! The garage is a clear picture that I am officially done! Looks like we have a fun project ahed of us!
Speaking of projects...Mike is going to attempt to assemble the crib tomorrow. I have my 3rd baby shower tomorrow morning! I am excited. This one is being thrown by my 3 close co-workers and close to 25 ladies that I taught with or I taught their kids for 2 years are all coming! I will have to post photos tomorrow!
Off to go apply more aloe-vera!
Blessings to all,
Jenn

Baby Shower Blessings!

My class had a baby shower today for me and overwhelmed me with gifts!
They wheeled in the stroller I registered for, filled with baby supplies:diapers, wipes,rattles, diaperbag, 2 baby blankets and much more! Then 2 of my kids come walking in with the "Patchwork Pooh" bedding set that I registered for! I began to cry and was overwhelmed, (as you can see in the photo)!
Later on in the day, one of my students came in and brought me the car-seat! Unbelieveable day! Mike and I are touched with gratitude for all that I did receive today. He still has yet to see it all! He just got the phone call of "guess what we got...!" Teachers may be underpaid a bit..but sure are blessed with gifts of appreciation at NCCS.
It is a tradition at my school that they do a monetary collection the last week of school for the teacher. So they opted to do the Baby shower theme as my "farewell" gift from teaching! I will really miss my days of teaching, but I am really looking forward to the new chapter of "motherhood" in my life!

Overwhelmed with baby shower blessings today,
Jenn

Happy Memorial Day

Hope this day is restful to all of you!
We have friends coming over for a BBQ. The smoke is not in the air today and we will be able to go to the pool!
Here is my latest (27 week photo)Last week of the 2nd Tri-mester! So exciting to be getting near the end. Praying that I survive the hot summer days!

Blessings to you all!
Jenn, Mike & Baby Riese

Summer days and we need rain!

PLEASE PRAY FOR RAIN IN THE SOUTH!
We have gone almost 3 weeks and really had no rain! When we do get it, it only lasts for a short while. You may have heard about these wild-fires in southern GA and into parts of FL. Well, the fire/(smoke) is so severe and they have not been able to put the fires out yet. So we have numerous mornings where we awake to "fog" but it is SMOKE from the south! You actually walk outside & SEE and SMELL the smoke from south GA. It is like you just had a camp fire in your neighborhood, and the fire still has not gone out. It is very sad!
Last week, we had to keep all the kids indoors on Tuesday. It was an 85 degree day and the smoke was so severe! We did not want to mess with the asthmatic children and be inhaling the smoke ourselves. Being pregnant, it is harmful to me too! So we desperately need the rain and have been banned from water the lawns and flowers during the week. We use to be Tues/ Thursday & Saturday. Now the state law is Odd # houses can ONLY Water from Midnight to 10AM on Sundays and Even # houses do it on Saturdays.
Fortunately my rose bushes are budding and the marigolds that my mom planted for me in March have come back.
We will NOT be at the pool today! To "smokey"! Hopefully tomorrow we will have some better air and be able to enjoy the pool. We got plenty of sun yesterday!
Have a wonderful memorial day tomorrow!

13 weeks till baby Riese is here !

Hard to believe that in about 3 months baby Riese will be here!
WOW...time has flown by!
And as the time has flown by my belly has expanded. I actually discovered 4 stretch marks this week on my belly and I knew they'd be coming sooner or later.
This weekend I have to get fitted for Mike's brother's wedding! Mike and I will both be standing up for Brian and Courtney's wedding, on October 27th. Hard to know exactly what size I will be in October. Praying I am doing as good as my dear sister who just had her first 7 weeks ago and is already down 24 pounds! GO JULIE! I am all for the "feeding naturally too!"
I have been told to just order 2 sizes up from my "before pregnancy" size. The date happens to be exactly 8 weeks after Baby Riese is (hopefully) born! (October 27th!)
I am praying HARD that Baby Riese chooses to come out early! It would make life a little easier on me to loose those pregnancy pounds in time for the wedding if Baby Riese does come early!
Baby Riese is currently still sitting very low and I hope baby just "pops" out at the end instead of moving up.
I must say it has been pretty uncomfortable at times and makes me have to "pee" ALOT~ some days more then others.
I had an appointment yesterday and all is going good! My next appointment will be the Gestational Diabetes test on June 13th. I have the lovely "orange sugary" drink in my fridge. I hear it is lovely!? I will keep you all posted. Looking forward to that visit (just kidding)!
We will be in town this weekend (for the so needed)long 3 day weekend!
Mike is away and comes home tomorrow. "I miss you babe and can't wait to see you" (neither can Abbey-since I am no longer able to get down on the floor and play with her!)
Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend to all of you!
Blessings,
Jenn, Mike & Baby Riese