Week 36

Hello all :)

Our baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. I'm not sure how much he weighs, but the average kiddo now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. He swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, Ryder will be considered full-term (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term). Hopefully he's in a head-down position. My nurse told me that if he's not, I can "look forward to" a C-Section. Everyone pray he turns! I've heard of something called an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying the doctor can try to coax the baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of the belly. I hope she's willing to try this! We may not even have to worry about it tho, fingers crossed!

Starting this weekend and next week, we have our Childbirth Prep, Infant Safety and Breastfeeding classes at the hospital. I'm looking forward to soaking up lots of good information :)

Here is what Ryder might look like this week:



And here I am:

Week 34

This week, on average, most babies now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Ryder was just under that about 3 weeks ago, so I wonder how much he weighs now. We will get to have another sonogram after 37 weeks and see if he's turned head-down and how big he is. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. The need to worry about preterm labor has pretty much diminished; babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

As for me, I've still got a decent amount of energy, but these hot days are kind of getting to me during car rides and things like that. Russell always used to freeze me out every where we were, but now I'm the one freezing him out. I never thought I'd live to see that day! My bladder is also taking a major beating lately. I think Ryder is starting to drop and use it as a punching bag. Not too much longer to go!

I'm really excited about our baby shower coming up next week! My mom is coming up with so many cute ideas for it :) Can't wait!

Here is what baby boy might look like this week:



And here I am:

Week 31

Hello all :)

The biggest news of this week is that we had our 3D/4D sonogram! It was so neat to see Ryder in 3D :) He was hiding his face for most of it, but the ultrasound tech was awesomely diligent about trying to get Ryder to move his arms out of the way so we could get a face shot. Here are some of the better pictures that we got:











You can see where he was holding onto his feet in a breech jack-knife sort of position. He really didn't want to move out of that position at all...little stinker. I'm still so excited that we got to see his little face, even if it was only for a few seconds. He even gave us a little smile once :)

The doctor told us that he is measuring about a week ahead of "average" and was over 4 lbs. He's also on target for a growth spurt here pretty soon, so I hope he doesn't get toooooo big! Of course, I hope he grows according to God's plan for him and comes out nice and healthy and strong. I can definitely tell that he is getting bigger, because I can see my whole belly shift around when he moves. It's not the occasional jump or flick of motion anymore. He's really getting big! Also as of this week, Ryder can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin.

Here is what little man might look like right about now:



And here I am:

Week 28

Hello third trimester!

Since last week, we've decided to tear up the carpet and go with a laminate wood floor that matches our office. I'll need to start looking for a rug or something to put down now to act as a sound absorber. I can't wait until everything is done and we can start setting up his room :) The crib came in this week and I came home to Russell getting it all set up for me! It's so pretty!

Also this week, my coworkers threw me a suprise baby shower! It was so much fun! I came into the kitchen at work expecting to be walking into our 'lunch and learn' thing that we do every couple of weeks where we learn about a new topic related to the software we use at work. However, this time I see my mom and sister, Heather, and Russell all sitting there! I was like um....what's going on!? Haha. Turns out there was no lunch and learn and it was all just a cover-up for the shower :) Here are a couple pictures of that:









And in baby growth news, by this week, Ryder weighs somewhere around two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures, on average, 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through my womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Here is what Ryder might look like right about now:



And here I am:

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:

Week 25

Hi guys :)

Another busy week has gone by and Ryder is still growing and developing. Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — somewhere over a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture. I have been trying to come up with an image in my head of what he might look like as a combination of Russell and me. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

A huge thank you goes out to Ashley Rankin for helping us out with a trip to Babies R Us. We walked all of the aisles and she gave us awesome advice on what she's liked and what she didn't so we have a better idea of what to actually register for and what we will need. It's a little overwhelming when you go in there completely clueless as to what you will need. Thank you, Ashley!!!!

Here's an idea of what mister Ryder Cole might look like this week:



And here is me at the 25 week mark: