Progress!

People, we have progress! I had my LAST doctor's appointment today and I am thrilled with my progress. Dr. Seligman said I was 2+cm and 80% effaced. That's major progress in just over a week! He also swept my membranes so hopefully that speeds things along. If not, we will go in Tuesday morning at 5am for my scheduled induction!! Here is a 38w belly picture!

Update!

It’s a bit surreal to sit here, 10 days away from Gavin’s birthday (if he doesn’t come earlier)- to know that after over 2 years of working toward this day, that our baby boy is finally scheduled to arrive…. In just 10 DAYS!. It’s been a long time. It’s been hard. It’s been happy. It’s been sad. It’s been a little bit of everything, but here we are. Just 10 days. 1 more OB appt. We’re ready. We have everything packed, washed, cleaned and set to go- now we just WAIT. We are scheduled to induce on Tuesday, January 31^st if he doesn’t make his appearance earlier. My gut is that he won’t. I fully expect, have prepared for and am ok with just waiting it out until the 31^st. At my last drs appointment I was dilated 1cm. Whoopty doo dah! LOL! Im feeling pretty emotional these days and it seems that the smallest things can set off feelings of wanting to cry. I suppose that is to be expected. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed with the pressures around delivery, how it is going to proceed, how I’m going to feel, what I’m going to be comfortable with, etc. I think I’ve finally convinced myself to just relax and let it play out. I think my family and friends are going to understand and go with the flow of whatever I want. I’m a control freak. I like things to be very planned out, detailed, down to the last dotting of the I and crossing of the T. Unknowns make me nervous. And right now the whole delivery scene is a huge unknown to me so naturally I’ve been nervous about it. Starting to feel better though.

I am excited though that 1.WEEK.FROM.TODAY is my last day of work until Tuesday, May 1^st. Holy cow!!! That is crazy to think about. Since I was 16 and started working at Stanley’s I haven’t had more than a few weeks off at a time. It’s absolutely mind boggling to me that I will be off for 13 weeks. I feel very blessed my company offers this benefit but I am still apprehensive about how I will feel with 13 Mondays rolling past where I don’t go into the office. However, every Mom has told me that I’ll be so busy I won’t miss it, so I’ll take their word for it.

This whole process has humbled me so much, to see my body transform and incubate this little human for the past 10 months. I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the awe Ill feel after Im able to actually get him out of my belly and here with us. It is certainly an experience that I will never forget. I feel incredibly blessed that after everything that happened last year, this pregnancy has been so flawless and uneventful. I’m very thankful for that and I hope and pray that the delivery and birth is just as uneventful. I think one of the things that Im most excited about is to see Jason become a dad again. Before Christmas I put together a gift for him that included pictures of Ally from birth -12 years and it was so emotional for me to see the pictures of Jason with Ally just after she was born. I just loved him even more seeing the sense of total adoration on his face in the pictures where he was holding Ally just hours after she was born. I can’t imagine what I’ll feel when I see him with our son. I also think a lot about what this all means for Ally and how I can’t wait to see her with Gavin. Jason and I are giving her the gift of a sibling. Even with the gap in age, it’s a friendship that she will have for the rest of her life that can’t be duplicated with any other friendship. They’re going to have each other, someone to depend and lean on long after Jason and I are gone and I’m very happy they will have each other. Can you tell I’m emotional? LOL!

This will probably be my last pregnancy update so here are some of the details:

Total weight gain: 18-19lbs

Belly button: completely flat, pretty much non-existent these days
Size: at my ob appt 2 weeks ago (36w2d) he was 6 ½ lbs and over 18 inches long
Movement: VERY dramatic- when he moves I feel it everywhere- his head is down with his spine laying on my right side. I do feel like he has slowed down in the last 2 days though
Symptoms: lower back pain, major Braxton Hicks, a little more heartburn, definite shortness of breath and of course PEEING ALL.THE.TIME!!!
Sleep: has gotten much more difficult, but with the help of Tylenol PM I’ve been able to combat it pretty effectively  J
 

… and here is one of the last pictures of this big belly.

.... and because none of this would be without him, the last picture of Gavin before we get to see him in person

Getting back in shape!

Baby Gavin is not even here yet and I’m already pricing treadmills for my journey back to getting in shape!! LOL! We have the space upstairs so I want to invest in a really good treadmill. I just feel like this is my best opportunity to consistently get some running time in. I can do it while he’s sleeping, regardless of what I look like, at any time during the day and all with no gym commute at all. Plus there’s the extra benefit that my mom and Jason can use it too.  I have no idea how long Im going to have to wait before I can start running again and Im sure Ill have to start with walking. I think it will be at least 4 weeks if I have a normal delivery, 6 or 8 if it’s a c-section. My goal for 2012- run a half marathon!!!

35 Week Update and Belly Picture!

How Far Along? 35w2d

Size of baby: Over 5lbs and 18 inches- size of a honeydew melon!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +17lbs

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes – luckily I still have plenty of items that fit and should last through the remainder of my time

Gender: BOY- Gavin Tyler Ramey

Movement: He is still moving a lot- he prefers my right side and is constantly sticking his butt up near the top, it gets very distorted and very hard when he does this, still freaks Jason out.

What I miss: I miss being able to get up off the couch without issues- lol!

Sleep: Getting up multiple times to go potty, but for the most part I’m able to go right back to sleep!

Symptoms: Peeing ALL THE TIME! Fatigue has made a comeback, I’m also experiencing quite a bit of Braxton Hicks and I definitely am not able to breathe as easy as I once did.

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks- moisturizing with this super greasy BB tummy butter TWICE a day!

What I am looking forward to: Hopefully an ultrasound really soon to figure out how big he is!

Belly button (in or out): Mostly out

Milestones: 99% of babies born after 35 weeks require no additional medical assistance because the majority of physical development is COMPLETE!!!

Baby Ramey’s Progress

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete – he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Gavin's Coming Home Outfit!

Merry Christmas to All!

I’ve done such a poor job keeping my blog updated as of late so Im going to have a vast amount of updates to include in this post. Its been such a fun few weeks. I had my last baby shower at work December 14th and I have to admit it was crazy, overwhelming. I was/am overwhelmed by the generosity, friendship and support of my co-workers. We got so much baby stuff. Basically they just went through and got all the last minor things that I had on my list of items to buy- bumbo seat, blankets, pacifiers, changing pad, extra car seat base, pack ‘n play sheets and on and on! We were also able to get our video monitor. Thanks to all those wonderful gifts we have absolutely everything we need for baby Gavin’s arrival!


It’s the night before Christmas Eve and I can happily say that I am done with my Christmas shopping and 99% of my wrapping is done as well. It’s a great feeling. The last week off has been used very wisely. The only major item left to handle is the grocery shopping for Christmas Day dinner. Im very excited that although Jason and I cant travel for the holidays, we will still get to be with a large group of family. Itll be a lot of fun to have everybody together at our house. In an effort to try and reduce some of the work for me, we’re going to do non-traditional Christmas food for dinner. We’re going to do lasagna, salad, garlic bread and some appetizers. I just can’t fathom standing on my feet in the kitchen for hours slaving over a turkey, ham, stuffing, side items, bread, etc at 34 weeks preggo.

Besides Christmas shopping, I also spent a large portion of my week off marking “to do” items off my list to prepare for Gavin’s arrival! I managed to get EVERYTHING washed with the, must be gold because of the price, baby detergent Dreft! I also got his room finished for the most part and all his clothes are now put away. Its such a relief to have all that done. The only things I think we still have to do are to get the car seat installed and get our hospital bags packed! Before I finish up with my weekly update below, I have to share a few pics of the nursery. Those bookshelves are my favorite part- thanks to my MOM for helping me to get them hung. Wow, that was a total cluster! LOL!

33 Week Update

How Far Along? 33w5d

Size of baby: Over 4lbs and 17 inches- size of a pineapple!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +14lbs – still very happy with my weight- should be able to keep my total weight gain around the 20lb mark. That’s my hope, its going to make it much easier for it to come off after baby Gavin arrives.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes plus I’ve graduated to some of Jason’s tshirts 

Gender: BOY- Gavin Tyler Ramey

Movement: He moves a lot! When he pushes on my stomach now the whole thing becomes distorted- very alien like! LOL!

What I miss: I haven’t missed alcohol at all up to this point, but right now, maybe because of the holidays and cold weather, I’m really missing red wine!! I’m plotting my first drinking expedition.

Sleep: I slept so wonderfully through most of the pregnancy; however that has definitely changed over the last few weeks- its much more difficult to find a spot that is comfortable it’s impossible to sleep through the night without getting up to pee!

Symptoms: Peeing ALL THE TIME! Heartburn and fatigue have made a come back

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks

What I am looking forward to: Gavin’s arrival- I feel like its close enough now (no more than 5 weeks) that its within reach!

Belly button (in or out): Mostly out

Milestones: Upcoming 34 weeks- I’ve read that any baby born at or after 34 weeks very likely wouldn’t require a NICU stay!

Baby Ramey’s Progress

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Weekly update, belly picture, etc!

Its been quite awhile since Ive posted an update. So much has happened. I had an ultrasound the day before Thanksgiving and it looks like we're going to have a big boy on our hands. He was measuring ahead 1 week, weighed over 3 1/2lbs and over 15 inches long. Ut oh! LOL! It was so weird because Im used to seeing his whole body on the screen; however he is too big now. You see just one body part at a time, it was actually a little disappointing but very happy to see he looked good.

Last week we lost Grandma June. Very good lady and we are so sad to see her leave us but Ive taken great comfort in knowing she is finally reunited with her husband Dennis and her son Russell! Jordan and I drove down Wednesday to attend the rosary and funeral. Glad that we could be there!

I had my first and hopefully last visit to L&D until Gavin is ready to make his appearance! Thursday I started spotting a bit and of course I freaked out. The timing really sucked because we had to miss Jason's Christmas party, but I would have never forgiven myself if it had turned out to be something bad that I had ignored. They hooked me up to the monitor and I was definitely having some contractions; however they attributed most of that to me being dehydrated. They sent me home with instructions to drink lots of fluids and REST! I seem to have a difficult time with the second part. The spotting did stop! Whew! I need to keep him baking in there a bit longer- at least 5 weeks!

Here's my 31w update plus belly pic. Enjoy!

How Far Along? 31w1d

Size of baby: Over 3 ½lbs and 16 inches- size of a butternut squash!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: down 2lbs this morning for some reason, +12lbs

Maternity Clothes: Im now finding that some of the maternity clothes I wore early in pregnancy aren’t going to fit the whole time :/

Gender: BOY- Gavin Tyler

Movement: Constantly feeling him move

What I miss: Being able to sleep without all the CONGESTION and gunk! Uuuugghhh!

Sleep: I slept so wonderfully through most of the pregnancy; however that has definitely changed over the last few weeks- its much more difficult to find a spot that is comfortable!

Symptoms: I’m attributing all this winter sickness mess to being pregnant, other than that I’d be feeling pretty great

Stretch marks: No sign of any stretch marks

What I am looking forward to: Definitely my vacation time around the holidays-2 weeks and counting until Im off for 10 days! Woohoo!

Belly button (in or out): Halfway out

Milestones: No major milestones to speak of, just very thankful for every day that he stays in there, at least for the next 5 weeks and then he gets an eviction notice!

Baby Ramey’s Progress
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He 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. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.