Woah, We're Half Way There

It's hard to believe, but we have finally reached the half way mark with Baby Riley. March 2015 will be here before we know it!



Here are some updates on Baby Riley:



How many weeks: officially 21 weeks and 2 days



Sex: BOY!!! I was SURE we were having a girl with as sick as I have been. So much for all of those old wives tales.... Here are some pictures of the fun reveal we did with our small group:

Look at that smile on Mr. Riley's face. Infectious. Adorable. He's in love.

I don't know why, but it seems so much more REAL after finding out the gender. I guess because you can really start planning and thinking of names.



Speaking of names.....we are still narrowing down our list and practicing saying different ones around the house. Until then, we will continue to call it Baby Bear.



Things I miss: sleeping on my stomach. I have always been a stomach sleeper and this sleep on your side business is for the birds, but Bear is completely worth it. Oh, and I miss going through a day without being nauseous or getting sick. Thankfully, it has gotten better with the help of Diclegis, but I still feel nauseated most days. I just consider it a victory if I don't get sick. It's the little things that make a difference.



What's cool about having a baby in March: 2 other couples in our small group our expecting babies. One in December, one in January and we will be in March. It is such a blessing, joy, and all around comfort knowing that we get to enter parenthood with some of our most favorite friends and ones we celebrate and do life with on a weekly basis. Our small group will have expanding from 0 kids 1 year ago to 5 in March! Praise the Lord for his Faithfulness, Timing, and all around blessings. God. Is. Good. Amen?



So that's what is new with the Riley's. We're having a boy. He will continue to be called Bear until further notice. With the next update maybe we will have a name and maybe we will have a decorated room for him to inhabit...we will all just have to wait and see!

Life Is Good Today

The Huey's headed back to The Beach Club in Gulf Shores, AL in August. This was the first time we had all been in 5 years!!

It was a nice treat to all be together for an entire week.

 

This view never gets old.

 

We had some BIG news to share the night we arrived. T put the shirt on Jackson before we went to check out the beach for the first time.
Kourtny noticed immediately.
Trent couldn't figure out why Kourt was so excited.
SuSu and JimJim noticed as soon as we got on the elevator.

 
 
It was a fun and exciting way to start our trip!


There was no shortage of super heroes in our condo!

 
That's one cute batman :-)

 
TRye and Jax looking for fish.

 
JimJim and Kinley. Could his smile be any cuter? He loves his family!

 
SuSu is pretty content with Kinley, too!
Getting buried in the sand

 
 
Nat loves Jax and Kinley

 
TRye loves his Kinley

 
Me and my daddy.

 
Kourtny was our photog for the week. She did an excellent job!

 
 
Little Riley update:

--15 weeks along
--I'm beginning to feel more human now that I'm taking some medication. I still feel nauseated most days, but the puking is minimal.
--weight gain: since I've been so sick, I've actually lost weight. So far I'm down 10lbs.
--cravings: none. I'm lucky if I get hungry.
--maternity clothes: still in all of my regular garb due to being sick! I haven't done any shopping for new clothes, but SuSu has picked up some shirts for me.
--Gender: we will find out 10/23 unless I have time at work to find out sooner (perks of being an L&D nurse!).

Exciting times in the Riley house! We are thrilled/blessed/ honored that we've been given the opportunity to become parents. We would love your prayers over the coming months as we embark on becoming a family of 3!

And that's Life With the Riley's--

Whoomp There It Is

"I'm taking it back to the old school because I'm an old fool who's so cool..."

Well, we all know I'm not cool by any stretch of the imagination, but I did consider myself "old" when I felt The Lord calling me to go back to school.


When it all began:

I felt The Lord stirring my heart just months after I had graduated from Baylor (sorry Mom and Dad). I was content doing what I was doing in the financial sector, but my heart was not in it. I tried to ignore the feelings of being called to be a nurse, but it kept coming back.

Mr. Riley and I talked about it before we got married and fairly often after. It wasn't until 2010 that we both really took it seriously and I began researching area nursing schools and what pre-reqs I'd need to get in (btw, if you're a business major you'll need to take every science class ever imagined). I took my first prerequisite in the fall of 2010 online while I was still working full-time.
Timeline:
January 2011: quit full-time job and take pre-reqs full time.
July 2011: move from Aubrey to Boerne. Researched new nursing schools
August 2011: started final pre-req class
Dec 2011: get accepted into nursing school
Jan 2012: begin nursing school
Dec 2012: graduate from part one of nursing school.
Jan 2013: begin part two of nursing school
Feb 2013: sit for NCLEX-PN and officially become an LVN
Aug 2013: begin working as LVN doing pediatric home health
March 2014: graduate from nursing school
April 2014: graduation ceremony. My entire family came to celebrate this special occasion, and some of our closest friends came, too! (Somehow that's the only pic I have)



May 2014: sit for NCLEX-RN and officially become and RN.


July 2014: get my dream job of Labor and Delivery nurse! ( I start in August)


I would've never imagined that I'd go back to school when I'm 30, but The Lord had different plans and I'm so thankful I didn't ignore them. It's been a long and tough road, but we've been provided for every step of the way. Mr. Riley has been the most incredible supporter, encourager, and believer in me through it all and I couldn't have done it without him.


I think I have one more round of school left in me: I want to get my Masters, but for now I'll just enjoy being a full-time working wife again.

Have you ever been called out of your comfort zone and taken that uncomfortable leap to the unknown?

If you feel your heart being tugged on don't deny it...go for it!


And that's how I became NR, RN.



--And that's Life With the Riley's--

Workin' 9 to 5

Not exactly....more like 5am until 7pm seven days a week.

This insane schedule went on for nearly 5 months as Mr. Riley wrapped up the biggest project of his career.

His employer teamed up in a joint venture with 2 other firms to build the new addition to Univeristy Hospital: complete renovations to the existing hospital building, and construct a parking garage. All for a mere 854 million dollars and just under 1 million square feet of space!

Mr. Riley and a bunch of other employees averaged 80+ hours a week with no days off for almost 5 months. To say he was tired was an understatement. He missed going out of town to visit family and friends, church on Sundays, and sleeping in on the weekends. He sacrificed a lot, but rarely complained.

I had the privilege of joining him at the ribbon cutting ceremony as they presented the new hospital to the city of San Antonio (UHS is the county hospital for SA).





Lobby








OR


Air pressure control panels. This was a thorn in Mr. Riley's side for quite a while as they wouldn't hold the appropriate amount of negative pressure, but with enough tweaking he figured it out!


Decontamination area


Detainee area (inmates of Bexar County)





ER treatment room


Regular patient room


VIP room complete with sleigh bed and private outdoor garden area


AGV. automated guided vehicle. This fancy guy delivers supplies to the ORs all by himself! He talks and even stops if he senses movement in front of him.



Now that's one impressive facility and one of the most modern looking hospitals I've ever seen!

I am so incredibly proud of Mr. Riley for his long days, late nights, and weekends full of work. He sacrificed a lot to pull off the biggest project of his career, but judging by these pictures I would say he hit the ball out of the park!





--And that's Life With the Riley's--

They Call the thing Rodeo

It wouldn't be our wedding anniversary if we didn't spend it at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

We've been going for 5 years...why not make it 6?!?!

Go ahead. Raise your eyebrows and squinch that nose wondering why we'd spend our anniversary at a rodeo.

Well, we happen to LOVE rodeos, concerts, and being with some of our most favorite people in the world!

Mr. Riley has been working non-stop on a huge project and I am counting the days until nursing school is over. We NEEDED this getaway. Time to unwind and not thing about work or school. We were in desperate need of some good old fashioned quality time with each other and our favorite friends.

We started the weekend at the HLSR Lamb & Goat auction where the grand champion sold for a mere $250,000! For that price you get one lamb. One! Thankfully, all the proceeds benefit scholarships for FFA kiddos that show their animals and the buyers get a nice tax write-off for helping the kids! (note to self: future baby Riley's WILL be in FFA and show animals)

We took a break from the auction to walk around the fair (really, Erin was getting hangry and I wanted to ride the ferris wheel).

 (Yes, I know the photos are turned on their sides. I tried numerous times to rotate and blogger just won't have it).


You know you have the world's best BFF when they take a day off of work to spend at the fair.

Mr. and Mrs. Riley.

Stephen joined us for the concert. 

(Still crooked, I know...just tilt your head to the right)

Rebecca also took the day off work to play, too! Do we have the best friends or what?!?!

Kellye was the reason we went to the auction. She was buying animals for her BBQ committee.


Saturday we were back at it. Auction. Concert. Rodeo. However, it rained...at Stacy's outdoor concert.
Thankfully, we all had umbrellas and we don't melt in the rain.
The Committeeman.

Mr. Lawlis and Mr. Riley displaying their love for The Chive. KCCO.

Mr. Lawlis, Me, Re, and Kellye at some super secret EAC post rodeo shindig. So fun!

And just like that the weekend was over. Always fun. Always hard to leave, but we'll be back to celebrate #7 next year.




And that's Life With the Riley's--