:::Tick, Tock, Tick:::

37 weeks! I am now what they consider "full term"...meaning baby Ryder can come at any time now. I go to the Dr. in the morning and will be getting "checked". So, I will probably know by the end of the appt. that I am NOT dilated at all! HA! I am hoping I am just a little bit, which would mean progress has started...but, I guess we will see :) It's now just a period of waiting.... I do think I would be great to have a baby right around Halloween! Costume birthday parties would be so fun! (Mommy wants you to come when you are READY, Ryder....but, just so you know....anytime, is fine with me) :)

I worked last night and was pretty miserable all night. :( I just feel so full and huge, and my hips/pelvis hurts. My body is seriously falling part....and I really hope eventually it will feel normal again. My Dr. said to try and work less if I can, so, I am down to working two shifts a week. The 12 hours suck, but at least its only twice in a week! I am happy to be working less, but I think it's gonna make the waiting drag out longer!

I did some laundry of Ryder's last week, and I think I will do some more in the next couple of days. I also need to get the hospital bag packed better. I have some things in it, but not everything...and Lord knows, Eric won't pack his until we are leaving for the hospital I am sure.

Had a good weekend last weekend, and went down to Nashville with my good friend Jordan and her 10 week old baby Ruby. We didn't stay too long, but it was good to get out and do something fun. Not much more time for that. Soon most of my time will be mommy and Ryder time, not "me" time. Especially since he will be arriving when it's starting to get cold out, and I will be stuck in the house. I also was able to have dinner with my friend Julie. Her due date is only a couple weeks before me! So, we enjoyed Olive Garden and talking one last time before baby time!

Also good news on the home front, Holly and Brandon welcomed baby Maxwell "Max" Dean Reynolds into the world on Thursday, Oct 21st at 1044. He weighed 8lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long! Big baby! But not too big!! He is super cute and they were able to come home last night. Unfortunately, Holly has been having migraines, so, she hasn't been feeling the best. Hoping to go see them at home for a visit soon!

Can't believe that in the next couple of weeks, I am going to be a mommy. I feel nervous, excited, scared, blessed and many other feelings all at the same time right now. I can't wait to meet my little guy, but, the responsibility of being a mom is very overwhelming. I know that once he gets here, he will be my whole life. I hope Eric can compete! (haha)

:::36 weeks Completed:::

Well, lets see.....the time is getting closer for our little man to arrive! Today I have completed 36 weeks of pregnancy!!! Which means I am in my 37th week....and that also means, he could come at any time really. I haven't been feeling too bad. Swelling has actually been a little better, but I think we can thank the cooler weather for that. Plus, I have been trying to take it easy. The pain in my pelvic bone comes and goes, depending on how careful I am and how I move. But, after half a night at work, or a day of being busy, I feel like the little guy might fall out of my lower abdomen. It gets so sore!!

I got his pack n play put together and his bouncy seat! All by myself! They are set up in the living room :) And in our bedroom, we moved a few things and have the bassinet in place, as well as the chair I purchased (which I got a really good deal on BTW). So, besides laundry and going to buy a few more items, if he came today, I think we'd survive! :) But, lets hope he waits a little bit longer!

Eric has been working on the nursery some. He only has a little bit of drywall to finish up this week, and then I believe, we can paint and prime it. Which means, I need to get the paint this week. I also still have never painted the crib or changing table. As time passes, I feel like just saying "screw it" and leaving it plain wood. I don't like the light colored wood, but, nobody is offering to do the work for me, and I just can't sand and paint a crib all by myself! LOL I guess I can always paint it later if I decide I don't like it wood. I also need to figure out something for flooring in there. I really DON'T want carpet, but Eric insists we don't leave his bedroom like it is and paint it white. He hates it. So IDK what we'll decide!

Big news of this week: My good friends Holly and Brandon Reynolds will be welcoming their baby boy into the world this Thursday! That little stinker never turned, and he is still breech. Therefore, she has to have a c-section. She turns 39 weeks this Thursday, so they scheduled the surgery for that day. I can't wait to meet him. We have traveled through this journey of pregnancy together, and now we will have little boys that are only a small bit of time apart! Very cool. Here's to hoping everything goes well for them on Thursday! :) And also, our friend, Lindsay, from Riley (one of the four of us pregnant right now) had her baby on Thursday of last week. She didn't go into labor naturally by her due date, so they induced her Tuesday. And over 48 hours later, he finally arrived via C-section! Crazy! And to top it off, Corwin (love his name), has to be in the NICU for a little while. Hoping he recovers soon and gets to come home with his momma! :)

Just wanted to point out my husband is doing a pretty good job helping out around here. Although I do wish I had a personal slave, he is doing ok. LOL I made a list and he went grocery shopping Sunday morning, and he cleaned all the windows in the house this weekend. And for the most part, he does things I ask him to do without too much grumbling. I love you! Thanks for putting up with me these last few weeks .....we will be meeting our baby boy very soon! And then the REAL fun begins.

:::No MoRe sHoWeRs in tHe foReCasT:::

Well, all my baby showers are over!!! I appreciate everyone who was able to come and all the great things they got for Ryder! :) He is one lucky boy. But we still have a lot to get before his arrival! I have been going through everything trying to organize and make a list of things we still need. It gets a little overwhelming!!! And Sunday, I will say, I had a few meltdowns. But, I will blame that on the pregnancy hormones! Our diaper-keg party is this Saturday! So, it should be fun, and hopefully we will get lots of diapers to start out with when he gets here! Lord knows we will need them! We also had our birthing class this past Saturday. I thought it was fun, and we learned a lot. Eric might not completely agree....but he was a good sport, and I think he learned a lot too. I can't say I feel completely ready now for labor, but, I do feel a little more prepared. :)

The field fires around here have been out of control. Its so dry and the biggest problem is the idiots who throw their cigarettes out the car window....what do they think will happen when it hits a dried up field???!! Last week , they had a bad one at Eric's work. Caught the combine on fire...all because of some idiot and their cigarette. And I believe, just a little bit ago, there was one down the road from our house. I think they got it out though. We have had the dryest period around here in 40 years, I think is what they said. We can't even have a bonfire because of the burn ban! Totally stinks. :(

I just uploaded all the pictures from my camera, so, the next time I am on here...I promise to post some!

Update at Dr. appt......I saw Dr. Bernardain this time. I do really like her. She explained a lot of things to me about when I go into labor. She also felt the area on my pubic bone that has been causing me problems, and pushed on it...which hurt, a lot. So, its definitely the bones there separating, and then they rub together too. It feels horrible. So, she says, I need to take it easy if I can. My swelling, of course, has only gotten worse, and my blood pressure was somewhat higher this time (still in normal range, but higher for me)....so, that worries me. :( I decided to take a day off work this week. And will probably do that some more, as we get closer. I just can't work three 12 hours shifts, get rest, and get anything done. I don't do much anymore anyway. Which is what the Dr. told me to do. She said to let someone else do all my housework! Ha! if only she knew!!! But Eric has been doing small things when he remembers (or runs out of clothes) and my mom is coming over this week to help clean for the party.

Off to get ready for work!

BIG weekend ahead!

Hello all! :) I made it through working three days this week!! Only 6 more weeks of that, IF he waits that long! I am super excited for the weekend ahead. I have no doubt I will be exhausted! But, its all for the baby! I have my baby shower tonight at my Aunt Mary Kay's house for some of my dad's family, and my friends from around here. I'm so excited to see everybody! And, tomorrow is our birthing class!!! It's an 8 hour day (9-5) and, I get to spend it all with my husband! He is so excited to sit in a class all day! LOL I am sure it will be fun. Then, on Sunday, I have my work-baby shower! Hoping to get lots of good stuff for Ryder and then we will be able to figure out all the stuff we have left to get! Then, next weekend is our diaper and keg party. My sister is throwing it for us, here at our house. Should be a lot of fun, and hopefully, people remember that in order to drink beer....you must bring a pack of diapers for the little one!

Last weekend's shower was great. I got to see Christen, Kelli, Sarah, and Lindz from college, and I got lots of really great stuff at my shower. Aunt Diana did an amazing job throwing it! Much appreicaited! Eric put his car seat/stroller all together as soon as I got home that night. It is so awesome! Dad and Tami purchased that for us, and we are so grateful that $$$ part is out of the way!!

One of these days, I will feel like sitting here forever and uploading some pics. (maybe, lol)

Not too much longer, and I will be posting pics of Ryder on here. Can't wait.

Oh, btw...my little brother and his girlfriend welcomed Anna Rose Marie into the world on Tuesday morning. She came a little early at 36+4, but she is healthy! I believe she weighed 5 lbs 11 oz...so, just a teeny tot! Ryder is that big now!!!! Makes me nervous that so many pregnant girls I have known this year have delivered early! I'm hoping Ryder waits until he's at least 37/38 weeks cooked before he decides to arrive! :) (which, btw, is only a few weeks away!)

Already so big :)

Had my ultrasound this morning....it was so great to see my little man again. He looked really good! And he's in a good position...head down! (it was really low actually!) Let's hope he stays that way :) So, now I know what's been kicking me where. The ultrasound tech said he looks to be about 2 weeks ahead in his size....not as big as he was! And that right now, he weighs 5lbs 3oz!!! It's so crazy to know that! When Brian and Jordan had Ruby she was just over that at 5lbs 12oz (I believe)...so he's not far from that right now! Crazy!..She told me my fluid level was in normal range too. All good news!! The only unfortunate thing was she wasn't able to look at my pelvic bone to look for the Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. I am managing the pain, and to be honest, it has gotten a little better. I worked last night, and I was expecting major pain today, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought.

Looking forward to my baby shower tomorrow!!!!! Its going to be a very fun one! My step-mom's family, friends from home and college are all coming! I can't wait to see everybody! Then, I get to hang out with my girls from Ball State for awhile! It is always so good to see them and spend time together. :)

My diaper bag arrived today! I LOVE it.......little by little, this is becoming a reality! Ryder will be here before I know it.....and I get to carry this cute bag around to store all of his things! :)

:( Ouchie :(

So, I believe it was Friday last week, I started feeling this pain in my "lower region". I can't describe it very well, but it got worse throughout the weekend. It was like I had bruised myself down there somehow. I had a scheduled Dr.'s appt. for today, so I just figured I would ask about it then. My swelling has been pretty bad too. I worked last night and headed to my Dr.'s appt. after I was off work. The pain had really only gotten worse and certain things were triggering it.

So, my blood pressure and urine all checked out fine at the appt!!! This was good news because of course, I was worried about my blood pressure being high with the increased swelling. So, then I brought up this pain I was having...She asked me lots of questions and decided to do a pelvic exam. While she was doing that, she went ahead and swabbed me for my Group B Strep. (Its a bacteria some pregnant women carry and if they are positive, they have to receive an antibiotic during labor...no biggie). She said I looked swollen, but nothing looked abnormal. She then started talking about pubis synthesis. Its a natural thing that happens during pregnancy where the ligaments loosen and your pubic bone relaxes a little. But in some women, it separates too much, and it can be very painful. She wasn't sure, but she said that might be what is causing my pain. She wanted me to go buy a maternity support belt (to help support my belly and take some of the weight off my pelvic bone) and she had me schedule ANOTHER ultrasound. So, when I went to get dressed, I could barely lift my leg into my pants. I told her about this. She wanted to me go ahead and take a day off work this week and take the next two days to basically stay in bed and rest. To see if that helps. She did say there is really no way to make the pain get better, except delivering the baby. So, I would probably just have to take it easy and find ways to cope.

So, here I sit. When I finally got home today, I stayed in bed most the day. Tom, Sandy (family from California) and my Aunt Mary Kay came by for a visit. So, I did get up awhile for that. I went back to bed and each time I have tried to get up out of bed since then, I have been in horrible pain. So, here is some stuff I have found online about this issue: http://pregnancy.about.com/od/symptomsofpregnancy/a/pubicbonepain.htm

http://www.birthsource.com/scripts/article.asp?articleid=189

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphysis_pubis_dysfunction

(I typed all that yesterday).....Last night, I cried because it hurt so bad to go up the stairs and get comfortable in bed. I cried because this is freaking me out and I am worried it will get worse and I will have to be off work and deal with this for at least 7 more weeks. It hurts. A LOT. Today when I have gotten out of bed....it hurts, but its managable. I think that it gets worse depending on how much movement you have done that day...then when you sit or lie for awhile.....going to get up...is horrible. And moving from one side to the other in bed....brings tears to my eyes.

I need to go back upstairs and get back in bed and the air conditioning. Since the weather had gotten cooler, Eric took out the air conditioners downstairs last week. And of course, its in the 90s again this week...so, its like a sauna down here. So, back to bed....Dr.'s orders.

I'm like a bird.......

Hello. Sorry it's been a minute since I posted! :/ Life has been very busy, and I have been very tired. I had my first shower a few weeks ago...and it was very nice. My mom did a great job with everything, and little Ryder got lots of great stuff! I am looking forward to my next three showers coming up next weekend, and then the weekend after that! Hoping to get most of what we are needing then. Then, my sis is throwing us a diaper keg party Oct. 9th here at our house! People we invite have to bring a pack of diapers to drink the beer. Excited to get stocked up on those expensive things! Lord knows we will need them.

I had some feelings of panic this week. Not sure what kicked them in. Possibly the fact that Mr. Ryder will be here VERY soon, and have have NOTHING done. :/ I was thinking that if he happens to come early, he could be here in a matter of a few short weeks. It hit me really hard, and I decided I was GOING to accomplish something while I was off this week. And accomplish I did. He now has an adorable dresser that I found in an antique store in Greenfield, and a changing table I found at a used kids store in Greensburg. And finally, FINALLY the bedding arrived today!!! I have been waiting for it to get here for two weeks. Fed X must have lost the first shipment, so, they sent me a new one. It is absolutely adorable! The colors in it are definitely different than what I had pictured. But, I still love it. :) Now I have to pick out some colors for painting the furniture. And so, I feel a little bit calmer now. But, the nesting has definitely set in!

Here is his cute dresser with the diaper cake Eric's mom made for my last shower:

And this is a vintage record I bought off Ebay to put in his room. I think its adorable!

Eric has been working on the nursery some. However, harvest time has arrived!!!!! :( So, not much work is getting done now. Hoping to get it done before Ryder arrives. But, if not....he won't be sleeping in there anyway. So, it will be OK. Drywall is hung, just needs mud/sand/mud/sand/primer/paint.

As far as I'm concerned. I feel like he is coming sooner than later. I just have this feeling inside me he isn't going to wait until November 15th to arrive. My swelling in my ankles and feet has gotten pretty yucky. :( Everything has been fine at my Dr.'s appts....blood pressure and urine checks are good. So, I have an appt. on Tuesday morning. Hoping that stays the same. Just don't know how to deal with the swelling and feeling like the baby is HUGE. I am not complaining tho. As long as Ryder gets here healthy...that's all that matters. :)