The Campbell Family Blog: Busy November...

So, I haven't been as good about keeping up with my blog lately. Mostly because we haven't had a whole lot of down time and when I do get home from work I typically want to do anything BUT get on a computer. Since it is the weekend I thought I would take the opportunity to provide a little update and a few new photos for your viewing pleasure. :)

Two great TCU victories since my last post. The first was our Homecoming game vs. UNLV 41-0. It was a pretty big blow-out, but we enjoyed the show from the frogs and were there from kickoff till the singing of the Alma-Mater "Hail all Hail, TCU!" I loved getting to see several good friends that I don't see on a regular basis and at the end of my post you'll see just a few pictures that I got around to taking at the game. You might even notice in some of them the growing baby belly. :) Secondly, today TCU beat San Diego State 55-12. It was an away game so we watched from home on Versus. Two other highly ranked teams lost today as well as a close game by another top ranked team, so it made for a fun college football game day. Frogs are currently #6 in the BCS & #4 in the Coach's poll, but we hope to see a jump when the polls are updated tomorrow evening. :)

Update on the growing Baby Ryan... We just started week 27, which my book had said was the start of the 3rd trimester, but from our Childbirth class today I learned that is actually week 29, so still a little more time in the 2nd trimester. I am still feeling great and especially enjoying all the crazy movements lately. Our little guy is certainly an active one. I've been trying to figure out what body parts I am feeling, but can only seem to distinguish between a knee/foot/elbow and a head/bottom. One is pretty sharp and hits hard, the other seems to roll around and sometimes goes high in the air and makes my tummy lopsided. It's pretty fascinating to watch the wavelike movements and punches and just reminds me of what a miracle a growing child is. Our Childbirth class was today and was extremely informative to say the least. I think we both learned a lot and got some great tips on laboring positions and breathing techniques. I think I will find all of the information useful as I am interested in having labor as natural as possible. Obviously, since this will be my first time to go through labor I don't know what to expect from my body or how I will handle the pains. However, I do have confidence in myself and believe that the nurse gave us some great techniques to get us through and I know there are other options available that I feel a little more comfortable about in case I need them. Mike is going to be a great support coach and is already very involved in learning how to help me be comfortable and healthy through the remainder of the pregnancy. It is hard to believe that we will be full term in only 10 weeks! There is still a lot that needs to happen before then.

As far as the nursery is concerned, we have the bedding and baby mattress, but no furniture or paint on the walls just yet. I am hopeful for a big Babies R Us furniture sale soon so that we can order our furniture. (Or at least a coupon...) I am also hoping that we can decide on something and get the painting of the nursery out of the way the weekend of the 21st (before Thanksgiving). If it doesn't happen that weekend then it will have to wait until December. This week we have 2 of our 4 BabyCare/CPR classes on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm feeling really good about getting these classes out of the way a little bit early since December there weren't any offered, plus with the holidays I know it will be very busy. I also didn't want to wait until the mid-January one and feel unprepared, especially if we deliver early.

Yesterday we joined the Campbell family for a Military Honors Memorial Service for Mike's grandpa Campbell. He passed away quite awhile ago, but had been cremated and not yet been given a military burial. His wife joined him in 2003 and their remains were both placed at the DFW National Cemetery on Friday. The four Campbell sons received an American flag honoring his service to our country in the US Navy and a fly-over was also arranged. It was a very special service for the family and I know it especially meant a lot to the four sons who knew him the best. I am always inspired by the honor and significance that is given to those who have served our country, especially in death. Speaking of which, Happy Veteran's Day to all those retired military service people that might be reading this blog. After the service, the whole family came back to our house for dinner and it was nice to visit with some family members that we don't see very often. Everyone headed home around 7pm and Matt & Vivian stayed to visit with us for awhile which was a lot of fun.

Well, I suppose this post is probably long enough and you are tired of reading. Hopefully I will do a better job and update it again soon. (Odds are I've already forgotten something) I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the weekend and enjoy the pictures below! :)

~Emily