Full Moon= Weekend of Contractions

Friday morning I woke up around 6am with some light contractions. They were lasting around 30-35 seconds and were 6-7 minutes apart. There was really no pain associated with them, only a really hard tightening of my belly to where it felt as hard as a rock and would then relax. I was pretty excited at first thinking "okay, I know this could take awhile, but maybe this is the start of it and today is the day!" So, Mike and I decided to work from home and wait it out and see how things went. Every few hours we timed the contractions and they got as close as four minutes apart still only lasting about 40 seconds, but they never grew in intensity or pain. So, by the evening they had really started to wean and made me feel pretty frustrated and discouraged. However, I know that first labors can be over a couple weeks and that first time mom's often have "practice contractions" so we decided I just needed lots of practice. Friday night we turned in for the night still slightly hopeful that something painful might wake me up in the early hours of the morning. ;) (who wishes for pain right?!?!)

Saturday morning rolled around and I woke up and laid in bed for awhile trying to pay attention to my body.... Nothing... Disappointed, but ready to start the day we decided he was just not ready quite yet. Saturday afternoon we joined my parents for lunch at Razzoo's (I chose something semi-spicy because it can't hurt right???). Then we went to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and walked around the grounds to see the exhibitors and animals for about 3-4 hours. On the way home I had a few contractions, but nothing consistent. We stopped by the grocery store for a few items and rented a Red box movie "Julie & Julia" (which was really cute by-the-way) and headed home. During the movie I got pretty uncomfortable as I think Ryan is pretty low in my pelvis and felt like he was hitting or head-butting my pelvis bone or something. He wouldn't stop unless I stood up and moved around for awhile, which was a little bit annoying. Anyways, that was our Saturday and off to bed we went.

Sunday early morning about 2:40am I woke up to use the restroom and returned to bed with noticeable contractions that were tightening like before, but also causing my lower back to really hurt and kind of a low menstrual cramp feeling in the front. It was hard for me to really tell when my tummy was relaxing because my back was hurting. Is this the real thing?!? I was also hungry so I went to the fridge and brought some yogurt back to bed. After feeling two or three of the harder contractions I woke Mike up so that I could time them on his iPhone. (We got the contraction master app- def recommend to those expecting) So, he kept the clock and I would just tell him when to start and stop. We timed them for about 40 minutes or so and they were lasting right at to a little over a minute and still right around 4 minutes apart. While this time they were more uncomfortable I just didn't feel like they were too extreme so I suggested we try to get some more sleep and I would wake him up if they got harder. Around 5:30am or so I felt like my back just wouldn't relax and I was feeling uncomfortable so I woke Mike up again to time them some more. They were still about the same and at this point we were both awake and I was hungry again so we decided just to get up. Blueberry muffins and milk we what sounded good so we made those and sat and ate on the couch. By the time I finished eating I felt like the pain in the contractions was going away and I was back to just the tummy tightening. So, at 7:45am we went back to bed to get some sleep. Unfortunately, we slept through my alarm at 9am to get ready for church and woke up right about as service would be starting. We never miss church on Sundays and I hate the feeling of it. Hopefully we didn't worry our Lifegroup too much with us not being there and thinking maybe we were having the baby.

So, the rest of today we've been doing some chores, taxes, cleaning out filing cabinets, and I've been trying to organize the office closet (which has been on my list for a long time). We plan a run to Home Depot and a long walk around the neighborhood later this afternoon. I suppose the moral of this post is the full moon for us has not meant "baby" but lots of "practice for baby". I think Ryan is determined to be a February baby after all. Perhaps tomorrow?!?! Only God knows and time will tell. Please keep us in your prayers and hopefully we will be able to share the exciting news soon!

Love, Mike & Emily

Weekly Dr's appointment

Today I had my weekly appointment with one of the other Dr's in the practice (there are four women). During my pregnancy I was supposed to gradually meet them all so that if I deliver on a weekend and another Dr is on call it won't be my first time to meet her. However, depending on when Ryan decides to arrive I may not get the chance to meet each of them. Today I met Dr. Carson-Henderson, who was very nice and professional. I was glad that I know at least 2 of the 4 Dr's in the practice now. :) Next week I will go back to seeing my personal Dr for follow-up. It is hard to believe next Monday is February already... I guess this week is the true test whether Ryan wants to be a January or February baby. No dilation in my cervix today, it's still closed. Although, she said it is starting to soften/efface which is good. Blood pressure was 100/78 and baby's heart rate was 145bpm (actually kinda slow for him). I attribute Ryan's heart rate to him sleeping since he's usually pretty active during my appointments and this morning he was definitely sleeping and didn't move around. Everything else is going well so not much to report. All we can do now is wait till the little guy decides to arrive. I anticipate lots of walking in my near future in hopes that things will start progressing. All your love and prayers are certainly welcomed during this time as we prepare for delivery and welcoming a new member to our family.
Love,
Emily

Dr's visit

Dr's visit yesterday went really well. BP back to normal at 124/78. Gained 2 more lbs. for a total of 24 now I believe... I didn't ask the heartrate for Ryan, but it sounded good! Routine test for Strep B came back negative, which is good- means no antibiotics during delivery. Dr. estimated baby's weight to be right around 6lbs now. No dilation just yet, cervix is still closed, but Dr. said baby's head is down really low and in the right position for delivery so just a matter of contractions starting to get things moving along. Next Monday I will have an appt with another of the doctors in the practice (there are 4) so that I will have met the others in case I go into labor on a weekend and another doctor is on call. I think that's pretty much the update in a nutshell. Trying hard to avoid all the sweets/goodies/sodas that I was previously doing pretty well about that are all of a sudden sounding REALLY tasty!! The last two months I've maintained a pretty consistent 1lb a week, which is normal, but I'd like to kind of just stop here... haha. Only time will tell. Enjoy the post below with the updated nursery pictures!
Love, Emily

Nursery Pictures

This last week Mom and I shopped for a few last minute nursery items while I had a few days off of work. I think we can pretty much call it complete for now. I'm sure there are other random things that will be added over time, but I feel good about this being the finished product for welcoming Baby Ryan. We have now reached full term- 37 weeks. So, anytime in the next few weeks our little man could decide to make his arrival. Perhaps he will, maybe he'll be late... only time will tell. I have another Dr's appointment tomorrow so I will try to provide another update later this week to let you know how things are going. I'm still feeling great, just a little tired lately, but nothing like the first trimester. Trying to get better about walking and practicing some of my labor exercises, etc. (We are planning for a natural childbirth via Bradley Method). Getting anxious and excited to meet our little man!! Thanks for your continued prayers for a safe and healthy delivery.

Love, Emily

Nursery from the door looking in

Chair from IKEA that we've had for years and decided to keep

The crib and mobile with new stick-on phrase from Mom

Quilt patches on the wall that match the bedding and Ryan's bag all packed

Changing table/dresser, quilt on the wall and Ryan's name

Bookcase from Target, matching Teddy lamp, toys and shelves

Ryan's name blocks- my friend Mariann gave us these at our first shower

Dr's appointment/Labor and Delivery visit

Yesterday I had my scheduled Dr's appointment for week 35 which led to a rather unexpected afternoon. I hit 22lbs on my weight gain for my pregnancy, but still feeling confident that it won't get too much higher since I don't have long to go. Ryan's heart rate was good and right around 161bpm. The Dr did my measurements which still seem to be just fine and she did the Strep B test, which is something they do to find out in advance if you carry Strep B and if you do they simply treat you with antibiotics while you are in delivery so it is not passed on to the baby. Unfortunately, when I was checked in by the nurse my blood pressure was recorded at 148/84, which is pretty high and definitely high for me. After explaining to the Dr about several of the recent fainting/blackout spells that I have been dealing with, she took my blood pressure again and noted that it was still high (it had been about 20 minutes since the nurse had checked). She was rather concerned about the black spots that I would see before feeling like I was going to faint and the fact that all these occurrences had happened while I was sitting and not standing. Apparently light-headedness and dizziness are pretty common in pregnancy, but mostly from pro-longed standing or standing up too quickly. What I have been experiencing is nothing like that and my only guesses have been that either the baby is pinching off some main artery/vein or my iron is low. I even thought low blood sugar at one point, but seemed to always happen within an hour or so of eating breakfast so even that didn't make much since. She looked back at my blood work from about 8 weeks ago and my iron was fine so she didn't think that was the problem, but said it would be fine for me to take an iron supplement on top of my prenatal just in case. Then she made the decision to send me over to labor and delivery for some monitoring. In the triage area, they hooked me up to a fetal monitor where I could sit and listen to Ryan's heartbeat for about an hour and a half and they had a blood pressure cuff on me that would inflate every 15 minutes or so. Someone also came around and took a few blood samples which I know one of them was looking at liver enzymes since the Dr had explained that to me in the office as a way for them to determine if my blood pressure had been staying high- which would be dangerous to the baby. Everything checked out just fine and about 4:30pm I was sent home to try to just take it easy. I was really glad that I had already had a tour of the Labor and Delivery wing so I knew where things were and that we'd taken our prepared childbirth class so I had seen the monitors and things before which made it not too scary. I suppose at least I'll be a pro when it comes to time for the real thing! HA! The Dr said if I continue to have anymore of the spells that she doesn't want me driving anymore and possibly even working from home. Luckily, Mike and I carpool to work so if needed we could re-work our schedule so I don't have to drive. Not sure just yet though.

However, yesterday and today I was on my own as Mike and the rest of my family traveled to Phoenix to cheer on the Frogs in the BCS Fiesta Bowl. (Unfortunately it was a pretty sad game and the Frogs lost 10-17 to Boise State- but we still love our Frogs and are ready for NEXT season!) So, I think everyone was a little bit on edge since I was being monitored and they were all out of the state. Luckily, everything went just fine and I think it was more of a precaution. I am glad they didn't find anything serious of course. I have been feeling just fine today and haven't been feeling a fast heartbeat or anxiety or anything so I'm pretty sure my BP is back to normal. Thanks to all the friends and family members who offered to say a prayer, help out, or stay with me while Mike was away. Mike will be back early this evening and I am happy for him to be coming home! :)

In EXCITING news, our friends James and Kristin Hamon welcomed their first baby, a little girl, Sadie James Hamon 6lbs 9oz and 20 inches long yesterday, January 4th. James and Kristin initially had the same due date as we did- January 21st, but they were moved up about 2 wks ago when they realized that Kristin was already making progress for delivery- and obviously we were moved back after our first sono due to Ryan's size. So, it looks like Ryan and Sadie will probably be right about a month apart unless our little guy comes early.

Lastly, I met with another pediatrician this morning and have decided to definitely choose her. The first ped we met with was very nice, but I felt like it was hard to talk to him and the conversation just seemed strained and awkward to me. I figure, if I am spending a lot of time the next two years with this person and will probably have to discuss breastfeeding and everything with them, I want to feel confident not only with their abilities as a physician, but also with my confidence in communicating with him/her. So, Dr. Erin Wallace it is. :) I am very pleased that my appointment with her went so well this morning. She was very reassuring and easy to talk to and gave me a lot of information. The staff seemed very nice and the office wasn't quite as crazy busy as I kind of thought it might be since they are part of a large practice. The waiting room and patient rooms were decorated with murals and absolutely adorable (not a deciding factor, but I liked it!) The office is located in the Professional Building at Mansfield Methodist Hospital which is just about 7-10 minutes from our house. They also have an Arlington office that I would have to visit for any Saturday sick visits, but I was glad to know they have that option just in case (and that office would only be about 15 minutes away). There are 4 Physicians in the practice and no NP/PA's so the Dr. will see the baby for all well visits and you would only see one of the other Dr's in the event of an emergency if our Dr. was out of town. Anyways, enough talk boring you about that, but I am very pleased and relieved to have chosen a pediatrician. :) Since we are delivering at Texas Health HEB, we have chosen Dr. Wheeler (referred by my OB/GYN) to visit the baby in the hospital and perform the circumcision.

Lastly, Lauren and I are having a joint family baby shower this Saturday, January 9th that is being thrown by our mother-in-laws and sister-in-laws. I am excited to see everyone and to get some of the last things needed before little Ryan's arrival. It is hard to believe that we are already just one month from his due date. I can't wait to meet the little guy, but could use the few more weeks to finish preparing for his arrival. Oh yes, and poll to my friends who are already mothers- Did you wash your baby's stuff in the "Dreft" or other baby detergent, or just stick to your normal detergent and switch if they have an allergic reaction? I've heard differing views, but would hate to buy the other stuff if I don't have to so I'd like to hear from you!! Thanks for sticking with me through the long blog today! Hope you all have a very blessed rest of the week.

~Emily

December flurries

Well, I was obviously wrong in my last post regarding snow accumulation in DFW over Christmas!! It continued snowing throughout the day (between 2-3inches) and the evening temperatures got into the 20's and we did indeed have a WHITE CHRISTMAS the next morning! The news team said this is DFW's 1st white Christmas in 84 years. Needless to say, it was beautiful and cold, but unfortunately provided pretty treacherous ice conditions on the roads. Mike and I did travel to and from Fort Worth and Grand Prairie twice on the icy roads and thankfully arrived at our destinations safely. Christmas Eve driving around 9:30pm was definitely worse than 9am the next morning, but bridges remained icy until the afternoon of the 25th when the sun helped to melt and evaporate a lot of the ice. We hope that you all had safe and wonderful Christmas celebrations with your family. We really enjoyed the time with our families as well. Mike and I gave each other a brand new Cannon camera this year in preparation for the coming arrival of Ryan as well as an iPod speakers docking station where you can place your iPod on the speaker stand and it charges your iPod while also playing the music through the speakers like a stereo system. We took a few pictures of the snow and us opening our gifts on Christmas morning so I will try to post those soon. We are back to work for 3 days this week, although we may work from home Tuesday afternoon due to more inclement icy/snow weather expected in the afternoon. I would hate to get stuck driving on the Dallas highways in ice during rush hour. No Thanks!! We are planning to celebrate the New Year just the two of us this week with steaks, roasted potatoes, steamed green beans w/ almond slivers, salad, & rolls. We have bought our champagne (sparkling grape juice for me!) and even some individual pints of ice cream to enjoy for dessert. We are planning to have a relaxing evening and maybe even enjoy a "Redbox" rental. In case I don't post again before the end of the year; we wish you and your family a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! We hope 2010 brings many blessings and wonderful times for you and your family.

~Emily

Merry Christmas to all.... and to all a good night!

It's Christmas Eve and REALLY COLD and SNOWING in Grand Prairie, TX- the second time this season! This kind of weather is certainly not what we are accustomed to. Too bad it isn't cool enough to actually accumulate and make the ground look pretty for Christmas. Well, it's been a nice and relaxing week off of work for Mike and me. We have spent a lot of time catching up on sleep, getting things done around the nursery, watching Christmas movies and football games, visiting family & friends among other things. It is hard for me to believe that Christmas is already tomorrow. Toby has enjoyed our time at home as well since it means more cuddling and play time for him. We also realized this week that this is the most time we have spent together at home since we moved here in June. Pretty crazy how time has flown. So far this month we have celebrated my work Christmas party in Addison, TX the 4th, the Smith cousins Christmas brunch at our house on the 12th, our friends' Christmas dinner at Simply Fondue the 16th, and the Swan family Christmas in Comanche, TX on the 19th. Tonight we are celebrating the Roberts' side immediate family Christmas at my parents house in Fort Worth. We plan to exchange gifts, go to a Candlelight Service, & enjoy a tasty meal together. Tonight Mike and I will spend our first Christmas at our own home without traveling or staying in someone else's home and wake up and share gifts with one another first thing on Christmas morning just the two of us. We are excited that this is a new tradition that we will have especially for Ryan's first Christmas next year. Later in the morning we will be going back to Fort Worth to Mimi's house for the extended Roberts' Christmas and lunch. Around 3pm Christmas day, we will drive out to Plano to spend the rest of Christmas with the Campbell side of the family. My mother in law has a large dinner planned for Christmas which will be delicious and probably enough to feed an army (not just the 6 of us!). Haha. We will stay with them Christmas night and part of the next day so that we aren't having to drive back and forth. On the 26th I hope to do a little shopping with some of the crazies and buy us a large pre-lit Christmas tree for next year. We will also be spending some time with the extended Campbell side on the 26th. Then, it's home to unpack everything and relax and enjoy the rest of our vacation time from work. Well, now that I've laid out our crazy schedule for you all, we would like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! Remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season! We are so thankful that our Lord and Savior sent his Son into the world to pay the price for all of our sins because without Him we would never be able to experience life with our Heavenly Father. Thank you, Jesus, Emmanuel.

~Blessings, Mike & Emily

Swan family group photo- Dec. 19th

Annual Swan cousins picture- Dec. 19th

The original Smith ladies- Mimi with her sisters-in-law

Next generation Smith Cousins Christmas Party- Dec. 12th

Youngest generation- Smith Cousins Christmas party- Dec. 12th