Dear Baby Riedel,

I am loving feeling all of your little--and not so little--kicks and movements, but would you PLEASE quit using my bladder as a pillow/punching bag. Although I am thankful for the opportunity to rise from the bed/sofa to use the restroom, I am a little afraid of what our water bill will be like and may be becoming slightly frustrated that the spasms that your antics produce result in frequent but ridiculously underestimated volumes. I also fear that you may develop a cone head if you don't move back up a little. Thank you for your cooperation...well, actually lack thereof, in this matter.


Sincerely and with much love,

Your Mother.



Things have been going well. I have now been on strict bed rest for 3 weeks and am only getting up to use the bathroom and take a 5 minute shower. Craig has been absolutely fabulous in making sure I have everything I need. He has even worked on some culinary skills and has made spaghetti, beef and noodles, and is going to attempt lasagna soon. He also made Jesus a chocolate cake with from-scratch white frosting for His birthday....after I dropped a few hints and eventually mentioned that he didn't want to tick Jesus off. Plus, he needs to practice up for making his own birthday cake next month. :) Seriously, it was probably the best chocolate cake that I have ever had. Sooo yummy.


I'm feeling pretty good for the most part. I am craving OJ and citrus fruits, but unfortunately they make painful spots on my tongue. With my inability to tolerate much salt intake it is hard for me to get enough calories at times, but I am now only 2 pounds shy of my pre-pregnancy weight. I never dreamed that I would be trying to gain weight for any reason...it has never been a problem before! Laying around does get pretty uneventful at times, but I am appreciating this season by enjoying feeling baby's movements and knowing that I would still rather be laying on the sofa bored out of my mind than watching our little one trying to get everything it needs via tubes and warmers. It's all good.


It is incredibly humbling to watch Craig do everything it takes to keep us going--without the slightest hint of complaint. He has cleaned the house from top to bottom, done the grocery shopping, done countless loads of laundry and dishes, set up the Christmas tree, made the basement not so scary with boxes and mess leftover from the move, and much more. I have decided that by the time this baby is born, Craig will have decided that either he doesn't really need me or that I am a saint for doing all of this "behind the scenes" stuff that he now realizes doesn't just do its self. As I often tear up in telling him how thankful I am that he is so wonderful, all he says is "you did it all when I was deployed...I can do it for a few months." This is true, but I think that it would have been much different if he was laying on the couch watching me do all of his work like I am doing to him. Very humbling indeed.

I haven't written much lately because I've had a lot of trouble putting my thoughts into words. I'm trying to do better, but must can't seem to make things make sense. It is hard to explain what is going on in this head of mine...there are so many confusing emotions in there and I spend a lot of my time just staring at the wall trying to sort it all out.

Thanks for all of the prayers and warm thoughts for our family. We are so blessed!