Week 30

Hello all :)

I cannot believe there are only TEN WEEKS LEFT (give or take) until Ryder is here! It seems crazy to think that 30 whole weeks ago we found out that we were about to go on this incredible journey to parenthood :)

We've made some progress on the nursery. All of the tan walls are painted and Heather has made some good progress on the "wood" wall. Here are a couple pictures of what it is starting to look like:





Also this week, I scheduled classes up at the hospital where I'll be delivering (Medical Center of Arlington) for our child birth prep, breastfeeding and infant safety info. Those will all be coming up the first week of August. I've started getting more and more Braxton Hicks contractions, but my doctor told me they are nothing to worry about unless they are about 5 minutes apart for one to two hours straight. They aren't really painful, but more like pressure. Everything in my belly gets really hard and I just feel pressure all over and on my lungs. Not the most fun thing to ever experience, but not as bad as I thought they'd be.

If he is growing at an average pace, Ryder is now about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face (Normal adult vision is 20/20).

I am sooo excited that I finally scheduled a 3D/4D sonogram for next Friday! We will finally get to see what our little guy looks like (if he cooperates). I can't wait a whole week for that! But I guess I'll have to :)

Here is a picture of what Ryder might look like now:



And here I am, feeling gigantic:

Week 26

Howdy :)

We've gotten a lot done in the past week. Thanks to the help of Ashley, we've gotten our registries done! We are registered at Target and Babies R Us for the essentials and Lone Star Baby for the bedding and room decorations. It feels good to get that big job done and out of the way!

It's been a busy week for Ryder too. The network of nerves in his ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear our voices as we chat with each other. Russell talks to him thru my tummy :) It's super cute!

He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. I can't wait to see him when he comes out to see if he's a chunky monkey or not :) He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds (average for this stage in the game) and measures 14 inches (the size of an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. And since we're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

The day after the 26 week mark, we headed down to Wortham, TX for the outdoor MX Nationals. It was weird being pregnant in the heat for the first time. Normally, I LOVE the heat and prefer it to the cold and it has never bothered me before. That day, I was definitely feeling the 97 degree weather. I think I had a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions from being a little dehydrated and walking around in the heat a lot. It only happened twice, but my tummy got really hard for a couple of minutes. I felt better after I had some water.

Russell's dad and sister got to feel Ryder for the first time while we were at the race :) He was being super wiggly and everyone got to feel him!

I've been keeping track of some pregnancy memories on a baby book app on my phone, and one of them was a weird dream that I had. I dreamed I had Ryder and he looked just like Russell with a ton of hair on his head. His feet were also as big as Russell's (that would be a scary sight on a little newborn haha). He was all cute and chubby, then ended up being a plastic doll. Then, he turned back into a real baby lol. I was instantly skinny afterward (that's how I knew it was a dream hehe) and was worried that I wasted all of the brand new maternity clothes I had gotten the week before. It's crazy what dreams you will have while pregnant.

Here is a pic of what Ryder might look like this week:



And here is me at the 26 week mark: