Week 37

 

week 37. The shirt is officially too short

September 26, 2012
 
Thirty seven weeks. I'm full term! It's time to get in high gear preparation for Lucas mode. This weekend I went to get those last few things we need - crib pads, more diapers, a pack and play and lots of anti bacterial soap.  I had a shower at work last week and got some more great gifts and much appreciated gift cards. I spent the weekend washing and organizing all of his clothes. The plan for this weekend is to get the car seat installed and pack my bag for the hospital.

Things got a little real for all of us today at my 37 week check up. I'm 80% effaced and 1cm dilated. I do realize I can stay at this level of effacement/dilation for several weeks but it also made us realize this is happening. I've started feeling random contractions too - nothing painful, just uncomfortable.  I think what got to me the most was when Dr. Kot was doing the check and she said "I can feel the head." It made it real that there is actually a little person in there with a head, he is about to make is way out and Steve and I are in charge of him. It's so scary and exciting at the same time.

In addition to the few uncomfortable contractions, I'm still having some swelling, going to the bathroom every 5 minutes, not sleeping, and have carpel tunnel/ trigger finger.  I must say swelling has improved tremendously over the past week though.  I think the drop of temperature has helped.  I can see may ankles again - it's fantastic. At last week's appt. I had gained 4lbs in a week and this week I was down 1lb - I'm pretty sure that was all due to a decrease in swelling.  Thank goodness for the cooler weather! I hope to not be in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy in a Mississippi summer again. In other pregnancy side effects, I think the funniest thing is my off center belly button.  Luke definitely favors my right side.  I can always feel him over there and my belly big outtie of a belly button sits about an inch to the right.  I really think he likes to burrow his feet into my rib cage too. I've had a few jump out of my seat kicks from him.

As promised, the nursery is ready and I have pictures.  All it needs now is Lucas and some pictures of him to put in the frames. Earlier this week I realized we've spent so much time on the nursery that we've neglected the guest bedroom.  Fortunately my mom is coming to stay for a bit then Steve's mom is coming November 1st.  I guess it's time that we get a place for them nice and cozy too.

 

I was trying to capture my off center belly button

My belly is way bigger than dash's

weeks 33-36

Week 36
If you look close you can see my outie

September 17, 2012

 It's hard to believe but at the end of this week I'll officially be full term. Things are getting real.  The past few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions from being so excited to meet our little guy to being terrified of actually becoming a parent.  There has also been the anxiety of getting everything ready and making sure we're prepared for Lucas to be here.  Between our home and work sometimes I feel like I can't catch my breath and then I realize we have the most important things and Walmart is just down the road so it won't be the end of the world if everything isn't perfectly prepared. Also, I think my co-workers will survive and the world won't end if I'm not there and haven't gotten every detail in place.  These are such hard things for a control freak to admit.

There have been many pregnancy symptoms present lately, including the roller coaster of emotions which I feel like I've done a somewhat descent job of controlling.  I've definitely started swelling these past few weeks.  My feet look atrocious! (see picture above) I've been doing every trick in the book to help but no luck so far. I guess I'm just going to have to deal with it. My hands also swell which has caused finger pain and loss of motion in them. And the best is my face is also starting to swell.  You gotta love when people tell you you look pregnant in your face. The hip and pelvis pain is in pretty full force causing my already awkward way of walking to become a complete waddle.

In more exciting news (I realize my pregnancy symptoms aren't that exciting but they should be documented so I can guilt trip Luke once day about what I went through for him) I had my baby shower a few weeks ago on August 25th. I had a great time and got some great stuff.  It reminded me how fortunate I am to have so many great friends in my life. Honestly, I have the greatest friends ever! I feel anyone who has one or two great friends who would do anything for them is lucky but I have about 10 friends that I have made at various stages of my life that have stuck by my side and I know I could count on for anything (a couple of these girls were missing from the shower because they live so far away).  I'm so glad that Lucas will have these people in his life because they are all such special people to me- as long as they don't tell any bad stories about me to him.  Enough mushiness about how great my friends are, here are some pics from the day. I guess I should have included some of the great stuff I got too.

I know I doted on my friends but my family is pretty great too.
I don't know what I'd do without them!

Hopefully, I won't wait another 4 weeks to do an update.  Mainly because Lucas will probably be here by then.  Tomorrow we're going for my 36 week check up and I start the weekly appointments. I'm also getting an ultrasound tomorrow just to make sure Luke is growing ok. So far everything has been healthy but he's measuring a little small.  We're thinking he's just going to be a small baby (no complaints here if I don't have to birth a Steve size baby).  I'm a little nervous but also excited to get a sneak peek at our little guy.
I'm promising nursery pictures for the next post.

Weeks 31-32

This shirt may expose my new "outie" belly button in a few more weeks.

August 24, 2012

Wow it's been a crazy few weeks!  Between moving, school starting at work and growing a baby I am exhausted.

First, I'll give updates on Lucas.  This little man is doing a great job growing these days. I think I'm a little rounder every day which means he probably is too. I can't wait to squeeze his little cheeks. According to the doc, everything looks good and healthy.  His heart rate was 141 on Tuesday when I went and we're gaining about a pound a week now (ok, he's not gaining quite that much but he counts for a few ounces of my weight gain. I'll blame the rest on fluids and Bops).  He is also wiggling all the time in there.

I'm also starting to feel more pregnant everyday.  My belly button is officially an outie. My latest symptom is finger pain - I know weird.  Who knew carpal tunnel could be a pregnancy symptom?  I wake up with swollen hands and can barely bend my fingers. I've also had to put my wedding rings back in the box for now.  Some days my band still fits but most days my ring finger has to go naked.  My feet still hurt and my lower back/SI are starting to hurt a little more.  Other than that I feel good. I really feel like I've had an easy pregnancy so far and my symptoms haven't been that bad.  However, you may think I feel differently if you are around me when I'm swollen and achy and could only sleep a few hours the night before.

Project find a house for Luke to live in with us so he doesn't have to use the bathroom as a nursery was successful.  We closed on our house last Friday and pretty much hit the ground running moving in and getting settled.  We are so lucky to have family and friends close to help us with the move. It only took about 21/2 hours to get everything over.  Unpacking and settling has taken a little longer.  We absolutely love the house and the neighborhood. I think we made a good choice.

Here's a few house pics:

The living room - in the unpacking process and pre our new furniture.

Dining room. One day we'll paint it and move the boxes out.

Lucas's room with the monkeys

Our mostly done living room with our new furniture. Got to love having a place to sit when you're pregnant!

The front view

Our back yard - it's actually pretty big.  Dash is starting to enjoy it.

Another view of the front.

 

My big project now has been getting the nursery painted. I finally ordered nursery furniture (a gift from my Mom) which should be here next week sometime.  For now I'm trying to paint over the bright yellow and monkeys that were playing on the wall when we moved in.  I know monkeys sounds like a cute nursery decoration but trust me when I say it was a little much and also just not my taste.

Here's a more updated picture (not a quality shot) of Luke's room.  Hopefully it will be done by the next post.

In Steve news, his license FINALLY was approved and came in.  The MS medical board was so slow.  But now he is able to start doing more at work and feel like an actual PA.  We went to Destin, FL 2 weekends ago for him to attend a conference on fractures.  This was great for him because he got to learn a lot and play with expensive power tools.  I had hopes of sitting on the beach catching up on reading but it rained the entire time we were there.

Work is picking up for me now since school started this week. That means programing, planning and teaching are all back in full swing.  My next few weeks are going to be focused on getting everything prepared for my maternity leave.  I can't believe I only have about 7 weeks left.

Weeks 27-30

My mom and Steve were right, this shirt may not fit all 40 weeks. It's getting shorter.

 August 5, 2012

I can't believe I'm in the 3rd trimester already! We still have so much to do to get ready for Luke's arrival.  In the mean time he has been busy growing and wiggling around.  I still have 10 more weeks and I'm not real sure where he's going to fit if he keeps growing at this rate. As of my 28wk check up I'm only up 10lbs but it sure does feel like at least 20. I find myself getting short of breath often and it's harder to get comfortable when sitting and sleeping.  Last week the little booger manged to make his way under my rib cage for a few hours which was unbelievably uncomfortable. Not quite as uncomfortable as my plantar fasciitis though.  I broke down and bought some comfy old lady shoes to wear. I'm also starting to swell at times.  It doesn't help that it's around 100 degrees everyday.
I guess that's enough complaining especially when I look at the bright side and know that Lucas and I are both healthy (I was a little scared about having gestational diabetes but I passed my 2nd test) and that we get to meet him in about 10 weeks. It's so scary and exciting to think about how different our lives are about to be.

In other Ryder family news Steve finally caught up with me and turned 29 a couple of weeks ago.  I baked probably the most awesome cake ever (at least for me who has no culinary skills.) The super chocolatey goodness did not last long at our place. He deserved it since he's been putting in long hours with his new job.

Steve's homemade birthday cake

Speaking of our place, not much longer until we move into our new home.  We spent this weekend packing and realizing how much crap we have. We got rid of our couches since we are getting new furniture to go with the new place. For now we are limited to 2 chairs and our bed for sitting area.  Fortunately Steve's parents bought us a glider for the nursery which arrived yesterday and is super comfy. One plus to being pregnant is that by default I get the comfy seat.

Our 1st piece of nursery furniture.  Luke says, "Thanks Mom Mom!"

I must also add in this post that a large part of our last week has been spent glued to Olympic coverage. It's been so fun cheering for the fab 5, Phelps, Allison Schmitt, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh and the rest of our team USA representatives. Steve and I have also been having fun imaging which sport Luke could excel in.  I'm thinking he has good genetic potential for swimming with the right combination of our genes.

So much fun watching these girls win gold and then Gabby win individual gold a few nights later.

 

Weeks 24-26

Week 26 (almost 27) 

July 14, 2012

It's been a crazy few weeks for all of the Ryders here - Lucas has been growing like a weed, Steve started his new job and we bought a house! I'll begin first with little Luke.

Our baby is a wiggle worm! He is moving and jumping around in there all the time. Not only has Steve gotten to feel and see his movements but a few people at work have too.  When he really gets to wiggling you can see the twitches in my belly, even through my clothes - it's been keeping me entertained at work.  I also discovered that since he can see now, he will respond to light.  If I put a flashlight against my belly in a dark room it really gets him going - it's one of my new favorite pastimes. He is also growing, just in the past 3 weeks I feel like my belly has almost doubled in size. 

Both of my sons

Dash trying to feel Luke

As for pregnancy symptoms those are starting to creep up again. I've been very fortunate to have had an easy pregnancy so far but this hip pain is starting to get to me.  If I run for more than a mile I pretty much can't walk the rest of the day. My plantar fasciitis has also come back in full force.  My feet aren't swollen but they sure do hurt. No more cute shoes. I've also have started having trouble bending over (which means biking is also about to come to a halt as well). I feel lazy but most of the time it's easier if I just ask someone else to pick things up for me. And probably the most frustrating recent symptom is breathing is getting harder I find myself constantly making loud sighs and other labored breathing sounds. It doesn't help that it's hotter than heck and about 100% humidity. 
It hasn't been easy having to cut back my exercise more and more. It's definitely a strange feeling to have someone else in control of what I'm capable of doing and not be able to push myself. I must say this has been one of the hardest parts of pregnancy for me (especially during tri season). I think this, the stress from all the changes and another influx in hormones have made be a bit more emotional lately. I find myself getting teary eyed very easily and also being a lot more sensitive to harmless comments. It's crazy, I find myself wanting to cry over the smallest of things lately such as the drink machine at work not working. Fortunately,  I can mostly catch myself getting overly emotional before the tears flow and can laugh at myself. It has to be the hormones. Despite all of this, every time I feel him wiggling around in there (probably doing jumping jacks and push ups) I realize how completely worth it the pregnancy is. I'm so excited to meet our little guy.

Now for some Steve news.  He FINALLY started his job on Monday of this week at Premire Orthopaedics at Wesley. In case I haven't said it enough - I'm so proud of him for all the hard work he's done and love to brag about how smart and what a hard worker he is.  Most of the time I don't have to brag because I'm constantly having others in the medical field who have worked with him tell me this. Lucas will definitely have a good role model as a dad.

Steve fueling up for his 1st day of work

And for one of the biggest decisions Steve and I have had to make together (2nd only to deciding we wanted a baby Ryder but that one was pretty easy and the process much more fun) we decided to buy a house. After only about two weeks of looking we found the perfect house for our new family. Things are moving pretty fast, we fell in love with the house about 3 weeks ago, agreed on the contract, had the home inspection, filled out all the loan stuff and now we're just waiting on the appraisal and the other 5 trees worth of paper work we have to complete. We are set to close on August 17th if everything goes as planned ( I think all of the major obstacles are out of the way though). I'm beyond excited to get into our new home.

The new Ryder house - if everything goes as planned

Week 23

23 weeks and he is making himself known

June 23, 2012

No doubt about it, Lucas Lee Ryder is a growing boy.  I definitely look pregnant most of the time now.  Some clothes can still hide it but I'm proud of my little bump and prefer to display it. (Not quite to the point where I'm going to run around in a string bikini but I find slightly more fitted shirts flattering. However, my feelings about the bikini may change in a month when I'm even bigger and it's even hotter). Even though I thought it was a universal rule to NEVER ask someone if they are pregnant unless you absolutely know they are, I've had a few people ask me. I know it would have been more fun to say no and watch their faces but I get too excited and start bragging about him already.
Not only is he growing but he is wiggling around.  For the past few weeks I've been feeling little kicks here and there but as of last Saturday he made it visible to Steve and me that he likes to be active. After going to Jackson to Hayden's birthday party (which was really great because I got to visit with Jamie and Janice and get some quality mom advice), I laid down for a nap but ended up watching my belly for about 20 minutes instead. We can now see my belly start jumping when he gets a little to wiggly; it's such a weird but awesome feeling. Sometimes I think he is in there doing jumping jacks and burpies!

While Luke has been busy growing and exercising, there have been other happenings in the Ryder household.  Steve was offered a job with Premier Orthopedics at Wesley.  This has been a huge relief for us.  We both feel good about this opportunity and have seen more benefits of staying Hattiesburg for a few more years. Although it's been lovely having a stay at home hubby for a few weeks, I think we're both very ready for him to start working.  Dash may not be ready but I think he'll appreciate the extra money to buy him a few extra treats.

The next step for us is finding a place to live.  I'm sure we could survive in our apartment for a while with a little one, I just don't know how comfortable it will be.  We actually started looking at houses today and found some really great deals for houses we really liked. This is going to be a huge decision and a stressful process but we're excited.

We had our latest check-up Friday (yesterday) and everything is still healthy. Lucas is a whopping 6lbs already! Ok, he's around 1lb, the rest of it is me providing him a comfy living space. This is a Ryder boy though he could be at least 2-3 of those pounds. Next appointment I get to take my glucose test.  I don't think I should have any problems since I don't have a family history of gestational diabetes and I've been eating well (minus a few Bop's trips) and exercising regularly. My energy level has definitely been up since the first trimester but I do enjoy the occasional nap still.  Some nights I even stay up to 10pm - I'm such a night owl. The only other pregnancy related symptom I've had is hip/pelvis pain.  Certain movements are painful and transitioning from a sitting to standing position isn't real comfortable but nothing excoriating.

These past few months have been stressful but so exciting at the same time with the changes we have coming our way. God has definitely blessed us lately.  I'm looking forward to see what else is in store for the Ryders.

Weeks 18-20

20weeks and making an appearance

June 1, 2012

 

Once again, it's been an exciting, busy few weeks around here. After getting back from a much needed vacation, we spent the next few days relaxing around the house.  Steve got the results back from his PANCE exam which was very exciting.  Not only did he pass but he scored in the 97th percentile.  My baby's daddy is so smart. Of course that night we celebrated Steve's accomplishment with some friends.  Well, I drank water and drove others celebrating home. The next week we were suppose to go to VA for an interview for Steve and KY to look at another place he already interviewed.  I ended up not going to VA with Steve since we didn't want to pay $600 for a ticket and right before we got on the interstate headed to KY, we got a phone call about the job saying it had already been filled. As much as I wanted to go to VA, I'm was a little ok with not traveling because it wears me out these days!

Now the good stuff - Lucas is growing right along. That's right, he's a boy! 

The last Dr. appt at 18wks showed everything is healthy; I've gained a whopping 1.5lbs. I'm sure at this next visit that will change to about 10; he's been hungry lately. (As you can see in the picture he's starting to make himself known a little more.) I'm starting to feel him move more and more these days which is such an amazing feeling.  I feel him most at night and when I go swimming.  He's been practicing his stokes in there. We had our ultrasound this past Wed (20wks) which was the most amazing thing ever.  He had no problem showing us his man parts. When the tech stopped on his bottom I just looked over at Steve who had a big grin on his face. I'm pretty sure I've watched the ultrasound video a hundred times already. I think we've decided on a name too. Although his papa picks is calling him Leroy, we think we're going with Lucas Lee Ryder.  

Lucas Lee Ryder 20 weeks

I've been feeling more energetic lately but do still enjoy my sleep. I pee about a million times a day which isn't fun.  The latest symptom has been hip pain which makes me think I may have to stop running sooner than I wanted. It's all worth it to know soon I'm going to meet this little boy.  Now it's time for the fun stuff, buying clothes and nursery stuff. This is going to be one good looking boy.