Ryder Ramblings

39 weeks

We are so close to meeting our baby girl. At this point we're just waiting until she is born to name her which means no cute monogrammed clothes to bring her home in but I think we'll survive it.
We're still not 100% prepared but can you ever be? Luke still thinks my belly button is the baby. He's probably the least prepared. Mostly all we have left to do are minor nursery details and getting baby gear that we won't even need in the beginning such as bottles. I'll just keep drinking my rootbeer floats (one of my cravings throughout this pregnancy) and do what I can when I can.
The greatest blessing so far is that my ankle/foot has healed almost to full function. Last Thursday Dr. Barbierre even gave me the go ahead to run. I kind of looked at him like he was crazy since I'm carting this extra 30lbs on me . Turns out, I was the crazy one since I could hardley wait to test my new ankle out that evening. We went on one of two more runs as a family of 3 that afternoon.

We also celebrated Steve on Father's day. I was hoping that she would be born on this day since it was also my mom's birthday. However, I'd rather her stay in and be as healthy as possible when she gets here. So, Steve only had 1 child to wake him up this Sunday morning.

37 weeks

I'm getting so close to the end which is exciting and scary. I can't wait to meet our daughter (who still doesn't have a name for sure) and see what she looks like and how her temperament is. I'm also tired of being pregnant and all of the aches and pains that come with it. So far my swelling has been minimal unlike my pregnancy with Luke. However, my back and feet are killing me! On the flip side I'm nervous because I know what is coming this time. I remember the sleepless nights, the anxiety of "Am I doing everything right?," the days without shower, the pain of healing from labor and I don't know if I'm ready for that to start just yet. I feel like I need a good nap first. Then again I remember the love and joy of bonding with a little person Steve and I created and all the misery is worth it. Also, I can drink some wine if I hurry up and have her. Either way, she will come when she gets here and I just have to be patient.
I did have a little scare at the end of last week after working a children's camp. (Never decide to direct a children's camp in summer when you are very pregnant). I got up at the end of the day and realized my pants were wet. Since I was induced with Luke, I don't know what it feels like to have my water break. So, I walked back to my office and googled "how do I know if my water broke." I finally decided that since my pants did not get any wetter then I probably just sat on a towel from one of the campers.
Besides the water breaking scare and the pains, we've continued to try to enjoy our last days as a family of 3 since it will be a while before we can get out and play as a family of four.

We made a trip to Lynn Meadows

Luke had a blast but the trains were his favorite

We've been getting in lots of pool time

and a little fishing

Luke's impression of mamma's belly

We celebrated Caiden's 1st birthday

partying wore him out

35 Weeks


I didn't have the standard photo but there is my big belly in my 2 piece at 35 weeks. My 1 piece would only stretch so far.

The cast is off! I feel like a free woman. After 3 weeks in a splint and 5 weeks in a cast, I welcomed the boot and a life without crutches. My back got a little relief too since all of my weight isn't on one leg and messing up my already shifting pelvis.

My last moments in the cast


only a little atrophy. The scar doesn't show too much here.

Steve and I went to the coast and celebrated our 6th anniversary and probably last chance at alone time for several months. It was a great getaway and so nice to have "us" time and be on our own schedule. We even stayed up to about 11:30pm!

We had an awesome dinner at Chimney's and had a beach view


Leaving Luke with Nana. You can see my bellybutton here.

Luke started swim lessons and is quite the fish. We joined the "mommy and me class" which I had to get substitutes for since I was still in a cast the first 2 classes. However, he did so well he got moved to the 3 year old class for his next lesson. I hope Luke and his sister love the water as much as I do.

Mrs. Susan helped on his 1st day

I just proudly watched

Dad was able to help the 2nd class

And by the 3rd class he was with the big kids

Luke had a field trip at the end of May to the zoo. He had a great time with his friends and I decided to extend the day into a mommy son day since his time as the center of attention is coming to an end shortly. We enjoyed a trip to pet smart (this is like going to the zoo for him), books a million, and then ice cream. I was pooped afterwards and our little girl (I think we're going with Olivia now but it's always subject to change) was letting me know I had done a little too much. Over the weekend she started dropping and I've started getting some braxton hicks. I didn't have these (at least not noticeably) with Luke.

They liked the tiger

Not a huge fan of the snake

The splash pad is always a favorite

He loves the puppies

He also loves some ice cream

I didn't realize how busy we've been the past few weeks trying to squeeze in as much fun as possible and prepare for the newest member of our family. My mom helped tremendously with cleaning out and getting the nursery ready. Now our little girl has a pretty room of her own as well as lots of clothes thanks to friends who have little girls already.

Getting snuggle time in with mom and sister. Luke is in a naked stage.

We had a fun playdate with lots of Luke's friends and ours for Memorial day

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We even got to do a little fishing. Luke caught this one.

Olivia (if we stick with that name) has a friend coming about a month after she's born

All we need is our daughter. And maybe some organization in the rest of the house, sleep, for me to be walking better, and to get all my ducks in a row at work. Then we'll be ready for her.

33 weeks

I am definitely feeling pregnant these days. I'm pretty sure this baby girl has gained about 5lbs and grown several inches over the past few weeks. She has taken over every inch of my torso possible. All of those fun pregnancy joys are coming back - heartburn, going to the bathroom every 10 minutes, and exhaustion. And of course being on crutches the past 7 or 8 weeks hasn't helped all of my joint pains. Despite all of those aches and pains, watching her (or me I guess) grow is getting exciting. She is always moving (usually into my ribs or kicking my bladder) and it's fun to think about what she'll be like.

It's starting to hit me how soon she is coming and how little we have prepared. We also want to enjoy being able to go places and get outdoors as much as we can. Maybe I really want to exhaust Luke so much that he sleeps like a newborn for a month or two when she gets here. Either way, we've been having fun doing what we can with my limited mobility. Fortunately, I'll get my cast off later this week and be much more able to prepare for her arrival. Maybe we'll also decide on a name sometime soon.