Too funny not to share...

Or at least I think it's hysterical that Mia is "nursing" her baby doll while I nurse Ricky.  : ) 

I cannot begin to explain how elated I am that nursing is going well.  Without going into detail, let's just say that Mia and I had numerous problems when trying to nurse.  I gave up too quickly and it's a decision that I still regret to this day.  But Ricky is a greedy little guy and latched on immediately after birth.  I did have quite a scare yesterday and thought I could possibly be developing mastitis on my right side, but we think it might have been a clogged duct now...which is still pretty serious.  I caught it early enough though and it's feeling/looking much better today.  I continue to hope and pray that I reach my nursing goal of 6 months with this awesome little dude! 

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Lots & lots of Pictures!

Love at first sight...

Proud Daddy...

Proud Big Sister...

With Granny, Auntie Maria & Cousin Olivia...

With Nana & PawPaw...

We're home!

I LOVE these two!

Our sweet boy...

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HE'S HERE!!!!!

The super short version for now...
Richard Paul arrived on his due date of 7/22 at 3:10am.  He weighed in at 7lbs 7oz and measured 21" long.  I'm in love all over again!!!

I'll post my birth story and some more pictures later.  : )

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40 Week Appt. Update

Yep. I’m still here and still pregnant. I had my 40 week appt. a day early today. Here’s a list of things that I’m happy to report about: my BP is good, my weight is stable, baby’s heartbeat sounded great, I’m 3cm dilated & 50% effaced.  Here’s what I’m not happy to report about: baby is still having a grand old time in utero and won’t engage. ARGH!

So what now?  The Doctor's won’t let me go 10 days past my due date so I have no choice but to set up an induction date tomorrow.  I cringe at the thought and can’t believe that it's gotten to this point...but I understand that they’re just following protocol.  Now, with that being said...please, please, PLEASE send some labor vibes my way. I really don’t want to be induced and would much rather go into labor on my own. The Dr. (and my mum) suggested I go walk the mall after my appt. so that’s exactly what I did...for two hours straight. Sure, I got strange looks and stares from just about everybody but I couldn’t care less. I’m on a mission. I will write a formal eviction notice if I have to.  I also plan to start trying all the other old wives tales to induce labor tomorrow…well, except for maybe castor oil.  I'll be sure to keep you all posted!

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*Sigh*

I think I’ve been pretty good about not complaining too much during this pregnancy. I know it will most likely be my last and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having this miracle of life growing inside of me. I’ve loved watching my belly grow, showing off my baby bump and feeling my little guy kick and nudge me from the inside. However…I’m ready to meet him and have him on the outside now. Extremely ready. Basically, I’ve gotten to the horribly uncomfortable stage of pregnancy. I now get sympathy looks from complete strangers on a daily basis and I’m told how sorry everyone feels for me that I’m still pregnant…especially in this heat. So if you don’t mind, I think it’s time for a bitch session…

• My stomach is smooshed to the size of a pea – I can now get ridiculously full from eating a grape.
• I literally get a Braxton Hicks contraction every time I get up from a sitting down position or every time I switch from side to side in a lying position. And these Braxton Hicks hurt!
• I don’t know how else to explain it but I feel like my belly is bruised from the inside. I’m pretty sure that this is from the said Braxton Hicks contractions.
• My tummy is stretched beyond its means – so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if my skin burst at the seams at any moment.
• My balance is so off kilter than I run into everything...and I do mean everything.  Trying to get out of my bedroom just this morning, I hit the edge of the open cabinet door, the wood bed frame and the door frame, one right after the other.
• My hips ache – I wake up to throbbing pain almost every morning. But I’m guessing this is a good thing since they’re prepping for labor…or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
• I’m the clumsiest person on earth and cannot hold anything in my hands for the life of me. Because of this, I’ve become quite talented with my toes and can pick almost anything up with them now! ; )
• Sleeping - I know it’s only going to get worse once he’s here but I’m still going to bitch about it. I now get up to pee at hourly intervals. And getting up out of a bed is almost next to impossible these days. It also irks me that people keep telling me that this only prepares you for the upcoming sleepless nights. Um…I’m sorry but that just doesn’t make sense. Anyone that’s had a baby before knows that NOTHING prepares you for the sleepless nights. Wouldn’t it be so much better if you were actually well rested before you went into labor, had to push a human being out of you and then be forced to function on little to no sleep? I certainly think so!!!!

I'm sure I could go on and on but I think I’ll stop here. Again, I’ve loved being pregnant - but I really am ridiculously uncomfortable right now. Hopefully it’s not too much longer...

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7 days and counting...

I’m still here and still hugely pregnant. I had my 39 week appt. this morning and all is well. BP is good, no weight gain and baby’s heartbeat sounded great. I didn’t even bother to get checked since it doesn’t mean diddly squat anyway and it’s extremely uncomfortable – so I wasn’t about to put myself through that torture. The Dr. completely agreed with me and was impressed with my self control at 39 weeks pregnant.  ; )


The waiting has begun to be quite torturous but I’m trying very hard to relax and enjoy this time still being a family of 3. Hopefully, we’ll have a fun and relaxing weekend and then he’ll decide to join in on the fun next week!  : )

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10 days and counting...

The official countdown has begun.  I admit that my days are starting to drag on and go by slower and slower in anticipation of his arrival.  But I have this funny feeling that he's going to be very punctual and arrive right around his due date - just like his big sister did.  I guess we'll find out sooner or later!!  : )

I had my 38 week appt. last week and had a little bit of a scare when the Dr. couldn't tell what position he was in.  I've taken a different approach this pregnancy and have been rotating doctors instead of seeing just one throughout.  There's definitely advantages and disadvantages and I can't decide which method I prefer.  Regardless, she sent me to get a super quick ultrasound and I was extremely relieved to see that he was in fact head down.  I was a little disappointed and surprised to hear that he is still floating.  Meaning he hasn't started the decent into the birth canal what-so-ever.  I've been carrying so low the entire pregnancy that I thought he would be in a -3 or -2 station by now.  The Dr. did reassure me that this was normal and that engagement usually happens all at once with subsequent pregnancies.  At first I thought she was just telling me this to make me feel better...but then I went home and looked it up and it does in fact say that engagement occurs as labor is about to begin with subsequent pregnancies.  So she wasn't filling me with BS after all.  Other than that, my BP was good and I'm up to an 18 lb weight gain.  Now I have a goal to stay at or under a 20 lb weight gain.  This shouldn't be too hard to attain since I couldn't even eat dinner last night.  I had eaten a handful of peanuts for a mid-afternoon snack and was so extremely full at dinner time that I couldn't even stand looking at food.  So the hubs was on his own and ended up eating a P&J.  I'm making it up to him tonight by cooking one of his favorite dishes - my homemade spaghetti.  Yummo!  And I'm going to make a conscious effort to not eat a snack later on this afternoon so I can enjoy it as well.  : )           

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4th of July Fun

We had a very low-key 4th but still had a fun day. Rick decided to buy some fireworks at the last minute and that was definitely the highlight of the night. Actually, let me rephrase that...the highlight was watching Mia watch the fireworks. Her facial expressions are just priceless.  : )

No 4th of July is complete without having some sparkler fun...

Then they sort of exploded and Mia freaked out...it was pretty funny.  ; )

She stayed up way past her bedtime and was a beast the next day but she had a ton of fun...and so we had a ton of fun.  : )

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The Nursery!

It took forever but it's finally done - and I love it.  LOVE it!!!  I truly love everything about it and can't wait for my baby boy to enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed decorating it for him.  : )

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