Wednesday, April 28, 2010

My Melons are Growing!!!

Week 35 brings lots of fun stuff!! We had our 3rd shower (post to come later) which was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who contributed! We had a sonogram yesterday, which was the first we've had since our 20 week appointment. Last but not least, I learned that we have a honey dew melon this week! (More on this debate later...)

Our latest email did specify we have about a 5 1/2 pound honey dew melon growing ever so larger inside the womb. Woo hoo! I think about the size, and it's so trivial to me, but then I realize that this represents the size of the person growing INSIDE MY BELLY and I'm a little more amazed. :) It's definitely been a fun ride.

To follow up on last week's post and doctor's appointment, we had a sonogram on Tuesday. The purpose of the sono was to determine exactly how little Rylan is situated. Last week my doc thought his head was down, his rear up in my left ribs and his feet pushed out in my right side. She wasn't 100% certain, though, so we went ahead with the sono. I knew going into it that if we found out Rylan wasn't head down, I'd start to get anxious about him turning. I know there's technically plenty of time, but still - anything could happen at just about any time now, so time is of the essence. (Ok, my apologies, but I just had a total FRIENDS moment by using the word essence... Chandler: "The cushions are the essence of the chair!" Joey: "That's right! I'm taking the essence!")

ANYWAY! We go in, and I don't know what to expect. I'm excited about seeing Rylan, but I wasn't sure what we'd see. Sure enough, it was "hard" to see much because he's so much bigger now. One body part would take up the whole screen, which kind of diluted the image, if you can believe that. She tried to get us some fun shots, but his head was facing in towards my body, so we couldn't get his profile or anything. We did see that he has hair though!! That's exciting! We did also determine he is still a boy. I'll tell ya - this little stinker has absolutely no problem showing his stuff off for us. Ugh! For the news - I have a butthead baby!! :( That thing I've thought was his butt all along is actually his head. Poor Rylan. What this translates to is that his head is up in my left ribs. No bueno, in my opinion. Like I said, I know there is plenty of time left, but STILL!!! Nothing is a guarantee at this point.

The sonogram tech is not the same lady as my doctor. She mentioned that my doc will probably either schedule me for another sono, or do one herself when we go back next Wednesday, just to check again. She measured Rylan's femur (which she indicated is the best measurement she can get of his "age") and he was measuring spot on, which is good news. She took a few other measurements including his head and his belly. When she got to his belly, she said, "Whoa! Look at that belly! You have a buddha baby!" Towards the end of the appointment, she casually mentioned, "Well based on the measurements I took, he's measuring about 7 pounds."

I'm sorry, say what? My email 3 DAYS AGO said 5.5 pounds! **Insert breathing sounds learned at child birth class.** I would've loved to see my reaction to her saying that. It didn't take too long before I remembered my doc saying the week before that any size estimates the sonogram makes could be off by up to 20%. Once in the car, we quickly did the math and were relieved this potentially puts Rylan down to the "normal" 5.5 pounds... or up to 8.5! Again, WHAT?! Rusty and I were both pretty average babies at 7 lbs, 14 oz and 7 lbs 15.5 oz, respectively. I really hope her estimate was wrong. I guess if it's correct, though, I'm closer to having a small watermelon, rather than a honey dew melon. :)

I'll keep you updated, of course, after we learn more next week. New pic below!

34 weeks:


35 weeks:


TTFN!

Monday, April 26, 2010

food food food

*BIG SIGH*

I'm so hungry. These past few weeks of pregnancy have really been a test for me. I'm hungrier (more hungry? I can't remember...) than I've been in a while, and the great part is that I don't get full quite as fast most days. I've really tried to battle the hunger by making smart food decisions. Some days it's easy to do. Today, not so much.

I had my slightly larger-than-normal bowl of cereal this morning. My mid morning snack was a normal cup of yogurt and handful of almonds. I usually hold out until about noon to eat lunch, but it's 11:55 and lunch is gone. This morning I did "good" and packed a peanut butter sandwich, strawberries and a 100 calorie back of chocolate covered pretzels. That lasted me all of about 7 or 8 minutes and I'm still starving. :(

If my hunger stays this way for the next 4-5 weeks, we might have some issues. I've done so good on my weight gain and I really hate to spoil it now. Any suggestions??? (As I ask, I think about the secretly stashed half of a Nestle Crunch bar that I've avoided for about 6 days now. Today might just be the last day of it's sad little life.)

TTFN!!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Covey Family Shower



Last Sunday, Rusty's family through a shower for us. Once again - so many great people that love us and everyone was so generous! We got some really wonderful things for Rylan... now if Rylan would just get here, we'd be set!! Pushing the cats around in the stroller isn't much fun - for them. Haha, just kidding... We haven't taken the stroller out of the box yet.

I'd just like to say, "Thank you!" once again to everyone that was a part of it and those that made it happen. Rusty and I were so very appreciative! Below are some pictures!





When it came time to open what ended up being our stroller, I asked my niece Emma if she wanted to help. (I know little kids love opening big presents!) So she helped me get the ribbons untied and she opened the bag. She had the cutest/funniest expression as she looked at the gift and then at me. It was the "everything goes oval" look... Her jaw dropped, her mouth formed an "O" and her eyes got really wide. I think she was just as excited about getting the stroller as we were!!!



The next two pictures were just unfortunate on my part. As I was looking through all of the pictures, I discovered that wearing blue wasn't the best idea... I looked like Veronica after she blew up into a blueberry on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. To top it off, I blended in/looked similar to two particular gifts. While the gifts are fantastic, the comparison... not so much...





Last but not least, here's a look at all of our wonderful goodies.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

34 weeks

Since I started receiving weekly emails that contained some kind of a reference to how big Rylan is, Rusty told me he'd be impressed the day he was the size of a canteloupe or something. Well, DH, that day has come. Last Saturday, when I got my 34 week email, a baby's size (weight, really) is guessed to be about that of a canteloupe... almost 5 lbs and a long 17 inches.

We had our 34 week appointment on Wednesday. Once again, everything seemed good. I'm measuring perfectly and the baby's heartbeat was just beating away like crazy. Since we're drawing closer to the end, my doc is becoming more in tune with how Rylan is positioned. After feeling around a bit, she thinks his head might be down, his buttox up in my ribs on the left, and his legs/feet piked out to my right side. She's not 100%, though, so I'm scheduled for a sonogram next Tuesday so we can see exactly what this little stinker is up to inside of me.

I'm not really worried, yet. To be honest, worst case scenario is that he won't turn. No. Big. Deal. Yes, I'll have to have a C-section if he's breach, which I'm not crazy about, but there are worse things in life. He still has time to turn, and my doc said if he's not turned, there are some things we can do to help aide the process.

The one GREAT thing about this little situation is that we get another sonogram. I haven't had one since our 20 week appointment... that'll be 15 weeks by the time we go!!! I really am excited to get another look at him. :)

I think that's all for now. Pictures below:

31 Weeks:


34 Weeks:

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Really Not That Different...

One could say we have an active household... and we don't even have a child - yet. Due to the sheer number of inhabitants we have in our house, something is always going on. I'd be lying if I said we all got along perfectly every day. The biggest conflict is that between Satie and Roxie.

Satie has a pretty outgoing personality considering she's a cat. She likes to be out and about, but don't mistake that as her being friendly and social. Satie likes 2 beings in this world - Luci (occasionally) and me. Where I go, she goes. She sleeps right next to me every night. She's laying next to my leg as I type.

Roxie is also extremely outgoing. Duh, she's a dog. She'd play with a rock, if it would play back. Rusty is her big playmate. I just don't have the energy to keep up with her right now. The cats don't like to play the way she does. Rusty's not home right now, so I'm her play pal. As I sit here typing (mind you Satie is laying by my leg), Roxie whines for my attention. She's individually brought me 4 toys. (I guess she thinks each previous toy isn't good enough, so she brings another hoping it will interest me. Let's note 3 of these 4 toys are socks. Slobber covered socks at that. Eww.)

Before Roxie came along, Satie was the young, active being. Roxie took over that role upon her arrival, and I don't think Satie is a big fan. Let's just see how things go once Rylan arrives - THAT should be fun... (PS - Toy #5 just arrived.) Anyway, the point of all this is that I finally found a common interest between Satie and Roxie - something they can use to grow their relationship on: the innocent bunny rabbit outside the dining room window they'd both like to hunt down.



Editor's note - I've recently discovered that the true toy count is only 4. What I thought was the third sock was actually half of the second sock that she successfully tore apart. Sweet dog. :)

TTFN!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Couples Shower



Rusty and I officially had our first shower over the weekend... and it was a BLAST!! We have so many wonderful friends that made this so much fun for both of us!

The shower was baseball themed (obviously it fits for a boy, and makes it more enticing for a couples shower). Everything about the shower turned out fantastic. Aunt Chrissy did a great job. :) All of the foods were ballpark related - we had hot dogs, cotton candy, cracker jacks and of course, beer. Our team was the Covey Critters because we have so many critters... a dog, 2 cats, a turtle and a baby on the way. (Anyone interested in a turtle, please inquire within.)

The one organized game we had was the "Diaper Dot Race." Everyone got a depends that had a "dot" on it. (We have some softball fields behind our house where the game was supposed to be played, but it was occupied by some kids that later came over and joined our game. One of the little boys ran over, pointed at everyone and said, "Look! They're on their periods!" It was HILARIOUS!)





The object of the game was to finish the race first, after successfully completing all of the obstacles. Everyone started at home plate and had to run the bases. At first base, there was a baby bottle full of beer that had to be chugged.



At second base, the dots had to successfully put a diaper on the baby doll. Once completed, the baby had to run the rest of the race with the person...



At third base, there were plastic bats that everyone had to do the "forehead on the bat and spin" thing. They all had to spin 9 times - 1 rotation for each month I'm pregnant. :) As far as I know we only had one stray runner after spinning...



The game was a blast to watch and I know everyone had a good time playing!! After the game, and a little bit of food, it was finally time to open presents. I was so excited to see all of the fun stuff we were destined to get, and our friends didn't disappoint! We got so much GREAT and ADORABLE stuff! I can't wait to use most of it (butt wipes excluded) and play dress up with little man! He'll be so handsome, I know!

Below is a look at all of the fun stuff we got! Again, I can't say "THANK YOU!" enough to everyone who was there and who made the shower happen. We really are so lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives! :)