Happy Mother’s Day!

Today, I’m a happy mother for so many reasons!

I’ve been blessed with a beautiful little boy and now a little girl on the way.

I have a Momma of my own who I appreciate more than I’d ever be able to put into words here.  And a husband who will wake up to cook Me & my Momma breakfast on this special day!  Then send me off for a pedicure…

I’m happy because my in-laws know how to do dinner right :)  We had the perfect steak dinner tonight, surrounded by people that I love!

But most importantly, I’m happy because my child is happy.  Today he got to set up his Birthday present from Poppy & Nana which we’ve been putting off for the weather to get warmer.

I just love watching his expressions, he is so intense when he’s working hard.  But my favorite expression is when I can see the joy all over his face, from his eyes to his smile. 

That smile is what makes me a happy Momma!  And the smiles he brings to people all around him.  Just a few things he said tonight that had us all cracking up…

Daniel: What are you doing on your sand table Ryder?

Ryder: I’m mixing da ingwedients for my recipe!

Daniel: Did he really just say that?! 

 

Ryder: I loooooove my job!

Daddy: What’s your job Ryder?

Ryder: My job is a boy!

 

Mommy: Okay Ryder it’s time to go home now.

Ryder: It’s not time to go home.

Mommy: Yes it is, and guess who’s in charge of the time?  Mommy is in charge!

Ryder: Your batteries are dead?

Mommy: I didn’t say I needed to be charged, I said I’m IN charge, now lets go!

 

How could you not have a Happy Mother’s Day when you have full time entertainment?! 

I hope all of my favorite Mommy’s out there had a great (and entertaining) one too! 

32 Weeks!

I can’t believe how fast the weeks are flying by!  Here’s what Alpha Mom says about this week:

Your Baby:

• Is about three pounds, 11 ounces and 16 inches long.
• Is starting to get pretty crowded in there, so you may feel more subtle, rolling-type movements instead of sharp pointy kicks.

You:

• May notice a slight change in your belly shape over the next few weeks — kind of…downward sloping. Not so much of a nice shelf for your bowl of ice cream as you’ve had in the past.
• This change also might signal the retirement of some of your maternity clothes and you’ll need longer shirts instead of just roomy shirts. I can pretty much guarantee that the shirts that no longer fit will be the cutest ones.
• STAY HYDRATED. KEEP YOUR FEET ELEVATED WHENEVER POSSIBLE. DON’T MAKE ME STOP THIS BLOG AND COME BACK THERE.

I’m definitely feeling more rolling-type movements now instead of punches and kicks.  It is pretty crazy to feel an elbow or foot slide across from one side of your stomach to the other.  Or sometimes I’ll feel movement in all four corners of my stomach at once!  She is definitely getting crowded in there and I can feel her move all the time.  Even when she’s not moving, she’s hiccupping!  I actually started to get sad the other day thinking about not feeling her move anymore a couple weeks from now.  Even though I can’t wait to meet her and am so anxious for that day, there’s just something special about a Mom and baby being together every second.  I know I do my fair share of complaining about pregnancy, but that is one part I will miss.

NOW…onto the parts I won’t miss! Haha!  Pain in the ribs…still got it, Heartburn…still got it, something new…it is getting so hard to get around.  I’m starting to get out of breath really easily and when I stand I have a lot of pressure, so bending over or squatting are seeming near impossible.  This makes having a toddler to take care of, a house that needs to be cleaned, laundry that needs to be done, dinner, dishes, etc…so hard to accomplish.  Sigh.  Which makes me start thinking about what it will be like after having a C-Section when I really won’t be able to do any of those things.  Sigh.  But, things will work out, they always do!

Here we are at 32 weeks:

Checking In on Maisy

There’s the sweet little babe, just resting and making herself comfortable in Mommy’s tummy!  Her estimated weight this time was 4 pounds 10 ounces!!  I can’t believe she is that big already, Ryder was only a pound heavier than that when we brought him home!  It’s going to be so different having a baby with some meat on her bones!  Everything is still looking great with her kidneys and the blood flow in her brain. 

I can’t tell you how relieving it is to get good news at each of these appointments.  It’s SO different this time and I’m so thankful to be able to experience what it’s like to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.  This is the exact time with Ryder that we were leaving appointments crying, listening to terrifying statistics, wondering about the health of our unborn child, and praying our hearts out!  To be on the other end of it now and living in our happy ending is the most unexplainable feeling, it can make me laugh and cry all at the same time.  All I can say is that I don’t know what I would do without Ryder and that I thank God every day that his amazing little self is here with us to spend our lives with.  What a blessing he is to us, I can’t wait to meet his little sister and have my heart stolen all over again. 

Sorry I’m getting all sappy, but just being in this time of the pregnancy brings back so many horrible memories, but then makes me overjoyed by the outcome, and then SO thankful at our current situation and how smooth it’s all going.  God is so good!  And of course this song keeps coming on the radio and making me all emotional, I love it so much and had to share:

More From This Little Mouth

“CHEEEEEEEESE” This is his new picture face….greeeeaaat!

“Mommy got you a happy meal from old mcdonald had a farm, EIEIO!”

“Where’s Angewa? Huntin’ in da woods? I go find her wif a gun!”  Yikes…

“What in da world??” “OH, dat’s perfect!”

“Maisy’s pokin out Momma!” as I walk into a room…thanks for the introduction baby!

“Did you have fun at Nanny’s house??”  When he gets in the car from Nanny’s house.  He always beats me to my own questions.

“Wif a Happy Meal here and a Happy Meal dere”

“Ryder has a goooooood question for you!” He never follows this up with a question.

“Want Daddy to give Ryder a spankin’” But Ryder you’re being a good boy, good boys don’t get spankings. “Ryder’s not being a good boy.  Ryder’s not cooperating!”  He always talks about himself in the 3rd person.

He has started to add his own “thanks” during prayer time now, it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard but it’s so hard not to laugh.  It usually goes something like “and stanks for therapy, stanks for Miss Erin and Miss Abby, and stanks for dat Easter Egg Hunt”. 

“Dat ice cream was scrumpt…scrumpt…scrumptious!”

“Mommy watch Ryder spell…E-E-E-E-R” Good job buddy, you spelled your name!

“Daddy stanks for painting Maisy’s room!  It’s beautiful!!!” “Stanks for cooking dinner Momma”.  He thinks we need positive reinforcement for everything we do.

“Check out dese shoes Daddy!” “Momma come feel dis blankie” He always has to get people to come “check out” whatever he’s doing.  The one that made me laugh the most was the other day when he yelled to our friend Mary while he was getting a diaper change “Mary, come see dis poop!!”  Typical man.

I really need to work with him on his pick up lines.  I heard him tell a little girl the other day “hey, meet me in da bafroom!”

Yes, that’s the same mouth that he kisses his Momma with.  Love that little mouth!

This…

Makes me SO happy!!!  Freshly painted, brand new carpet, so nice and clean, ready for the new little bundle that will be coming home to it in just 8 weeks!  This space that went from a computer room, to Uncle G’s room, to the dogs room, to a mess of a storage room, is now ready to be decorated and made just perfect for our baby girl.

 

Daddy worked so hard this weekend clearing out the room, doing an attic swap, painting, and replacing the carpet.  I’m so thankful to have such a handy husband.  And I’m sure he is so thankful to not have to hear my mouth about it anymore, ha!  “We only have 10 more weekends……We only have 9 more weekends……I’m just sayin’!”  I can tell that I’m so ready to start nesting and the anxiety of not being able to do anything was really getting to me.  So you can imagine my excitement to be able to hang her first little outfits in her closet!

Now onto decorating, no rush, after all we DO have 7 weekends left!  But here’s just a little sneak peek of what to expect:

Stay tuned for the final reveal :)

31 Weeks!

Here’s what Alpha Mom says about this week:

Your Baby:

• Blah blah blah 3.3 pounds, bag of oranges, sock full of nickels, etc.
• Enjoys yawning, sucking his or her thumb, kicking mom in the diaphragm.
• Turn-offs include: getting the hiccups, really loud noises and you trying to do all that boring “sleeping” at night.

You:

• Can totally round down your answer to “two months” when people ask you how much longer you have to go. DO NOT focus on the crazy week-to-month-ratio math at this point in pregnancy, particularly when there are breakable, smashy objects within reach.
• May be weirdly and inexplicably congested all the time. I, for one, appear to be allergic to my pillow. This is also prime time for pregnancy colds, as the toll on your body and immune system is getting higher by the week. Take it easy, slow down, take your vitamins and try try try to get enough sleep.
• Can now play everybody’s favorite game, Guess The Body Part That’s Sticking Out Next To My Belly Button! Elbow or heel? Head or butt? Did I seriously just maybe feel my baby’s BIG TOE?

Maisy is still very active and loves moving around in there.  She gets the hiccups atleast 2-3 times a day and sometimes they are so strong that my stomach jumps with every hiccup.  I noticed in a meeting the other day that 2 of my co-workers were watching my stomach move from across the table! 

I’m getting even more Braxton Hicks contractions now and they seem stronger to the point where they take my breath away sometimes.  Still have heartburn too, those seem to be my two symptoms that stick with me pretty much the whole pregnancy.

I had a doctor appointment this week…Maisy’s heartrate was 148, my blood pressure was normal, and I gained SIX pounds!  Yes, in 2 weeks!  I’ve been waiting for that huge spike and it came this week.  So that’s a total gain of 19 pounds so far.  But it’s official that I do not have diabetes and they won’t be testing me anymore (yay!) (that probably explains the 6 pound gain…I might have gone on a sugar binge after passing my last test!)

Here we are at 31 weeks!

Just To See You Smile

As a parent one of the best rewards is seeing your child smile.  There’s something about knowing that they have joy in their heart that makes you feel so good and happy yourself.  I always find myself thinking of little ways to surprise Ryder or make something exciting for him.  Even if it’s just little things, like sharing an ice cream on the front porch before dinner, taking him for a slurpee after therapy, or letting him watch an extra episode of Blue’s Clue’s before bedtime, he gets so excited.  I notice Daddy doing the same thing like pulling a surprise snack for Ryder out of his lunch box that he bought for him during the day, or bringing him home a little prize out of the gumball machine if he stops at the grocery store.  Not that we constantly have to be showering him with gifts, but it’s like we can’t help but constantly be on a mission to make this kid smile.  His smile just makes our whole world make sense.

I found a really cute website that has personalized goodies called www.frecklebox.com .  I ordered some stuff for Ryder’s Easter basket but it didn’t end up shipping until the Monday after Easter, go figure.  But, it kind of worked out because I knew Ryder would think it was extra special to get a package in the mail with such cool stuff…Like these “Ryder Rocks!” stickers:

His new Ryder notebook and “Rev It Up Ryder” coloring book:

And a Ryder placemat!

He’s still telling me today “Momma, stanks for my package!  It’s soooo special!”  He is so appreciative which makes it all even more worth it.  But the best part, by far, is the smile!