Week 37

Less than a month to our due date!

I wonder if Ryder will want to hang out in his cozy current home that long, or if he will come early. I kind of hope he's a little bit early so that I'm not trying to deliver a gigantic baby :) I get to see how big he is in a few days! Can't wait :)

Ryder is now considered "full term," even though my due date is three weeks away. If I go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz. I can't believe there's so little time before we finally get to meet our little man and see what he looks like :)

The classes at the hospital this past week were really good. I'm glad we took them to get a little more information to help us prepare for what we are about to experience. I am still planning on going with no epidural. The part I'm most worried about is the healing part afterwards lol. I think I am fully capable of handling the contractions and delivery, just not looking forward to recovery.

I'm currently trying to find a pediatrician for Ryder and have an interview with two of them in Burleson this coming Monday. I'm looking forward to having that part covered and out of the way so there's one less thing to worry about. The dresser is getting delivered Monday also, so everything is just about ready! Not that there is really a time when you can say you're fullly "ready." Maybe prepared is a better word. One thing that I know Russell and I are both ready for is to hold our little baby and get to meet him for the first time and start bonding and living the rest of our lives together :)

Here is what Ryder might look like this week:



And here I am:

Week 32

Oh my goodness, busy busy busy! Lots has been going on, including the nursery being completed (paint and flooring-wise). It is so dang cute I can hardly stand it! Heather did an amazing job on the walls and Russell did a beautiful job on the floors. Here's what it looks like with the crib in there. I can't wait until it's actually totally done tho :)



We picked out a dresser this past weekend (on July 4), so we should be all set furniture-wise after that gets here.

So at this stage of the game, I ought to be gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). I know he's got at least some hair, because we were able to see it on the last sono. His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

To accommodate me and Ryder's growing needs, my blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since I got pregnant. Pretty crazy huh? I've had to get on iron pills in order to make sure that I've got enough iron in my blood since I'm on the now-normal end of the spectrum right now. I kind of feel weak when I don't take them.

All and all, everything is moving right along as hoped!

Here is what mister Ryder might look like this week:



And here I am: