The Big Arrival

The bean has arrived! We welcomed Ryan Durrance Blalock at 8:03a on Friday April 20th. Here are the baby stats:

Date/time: 4/20/12 8:03am CST
Weight: 8 lbs 1.8 oz
Length: 19.5 inches
Head circumference: 14 inches
Chest circumference: 13.5 inches

Ryan's arrival is a long story! As expected, I was induced due to the high blood pressure. It wasn't ideal since I wasn't progressed as far as they like to see for an induction to be successful, but the doc didn't want to risk the BP. So we went to the hospital at 1am on Thursday April 19th to start the process. They got me hooked up to Pitocin to get labor started, but it took a very long time for things to progress. There were a couple times where the doctor said if things didn't get better in X amount of time then we would have to do a C-section which I definitely did not want. But thankfully, whenever we got that threat I managed to progress enough that they let me keep going. It was a very, very long 30 hours before Ryan was finally born. He did great though, and only got distressed at the very end so while I was pushing the doc had to do some magic to get him out quickly. As soon as he was out he let out a big cry! They put him up on my belly right away and Mark was able to cut the umbilical cord. And then we got to see our little man for the first time!

We were at the hospital until yesterday afternoon. He came down with a bit of jaundice so they kept us a few hours longer than normal so they could check him and monitor his feeding/diapers. We had to retest at the hospital this morning and see the pediatrician and he's doing better so we're in the clear as long as he keeps eating well. After 4 days in the hospital we were VERY excited to come home.

Here's what we know about Ryan so far:

1) He has very long toes and feet
2) He hates being cold
3) He loves being swaddled
4) We aren't sure what color his eyes are at the moment; they are either very dark blue or brown
5) He inherited my difficult veins, so he has lots of band aids from the nurses trying to get blood for the various newborn tests

But of course what everyone wants are pictures!

Ryan's Arrival

We'll have lots more to share over the coming weeks/months I'm sure.

We're doing well now at home. We're still figuring thing out of course, but everyday we figure out a new trick or get better at something. He's not sleeping great at night, he likes to sleep during the day a lot. So we're both pretty tired. But loving every minute!

40 Week Update

It's been an eventful week leading up to my due date (which is on Tuesday 4/17)! At my doctor's appointment on Tuesday, my blood pressure was officially high. The doctor was pretty concerned, so he wanted me back in on Thursday to recheck it and said that if it was still high they would do some additional testing and possibly induce me. I was also ordered to bed rest until then to keep the BP down (which I wasn't too happy about!). On Thursday, the BP was still high (in fact it was higher) so he sent me over to labor & delivery for some blood work and a contraction stress test. And since the BP was so high, he basically said be prepared to stay for an induction.

So, Mark and I headed over to the hospital. They took some blood and then hooked me up to an IV with low levels of Pitocin to induce some contractions. They were monitoring the contractions, the baby's heart rate, and my BP (which was down when we got there but stayed a bit erratic while we were there). The goal was to see how well he tolerated the contractions. One of the risks with high blood pressure is that the baby might not be getting enough oxygen from the placenta. If the baby's heart rate drops during a contraction it indicates that he's not getting the oxygen.

So we sat at the hospital for about 6 hours while they kept upping the dosage of the Pitocin trying to get a consistent pattern of contractions (apparently I'm not very sensitive to it). Meanwhile, my blood work checking my liver function came back clean which was good. The baby tolerated the contractions very well indicating that he's still getting enough oxygen from the placenta. Once they got the data they took me off the Pitocin to see if the contractions would stay and they stopped almost immediately. And after all those contractions, I had no more dilation. So the bean wasn't ready to debut and they sent me home under bed rest orders. It was the right move to not rush the bean, but we were a little disappointed that

So that's where I am! I'm very sick of resting and getting quite bored. I see the doctor again tomorrow afternoon to see what the next step is. If there is more cervical progression, then I'm thinking they will want to induce. So who knows, we may have this baby sooner rather than later!

Here is the 40 week bump pic and I'm hoping it's my last :)

39 Week Update

With a week left until our due date, I'm quite ready to have this baby! While I'm still feeling pretty good, this week brought some new discomforts since he's dropped. Mostly hip and some back pain. I'm not moving too quick these days!

At my doctor's appointment last week the baby was at -1 station (which is good) and I was 1 cm dilated. So there was some progression. I've had an increase in the number of Braxton Hicks contractions this week too, so I'm hoping there will be some more progression this week when I see the doc on Tuesday.

The big excitement for us this week is that we bought a boat! It's an 2002 18 ft Edgewater center console. We were able to take it out today for a maiden voyage and it was great! Here are some pics, it was a gorgeous day for a boat ride:

Putting in at the ramp

Proud owners!

Pepper likes the boat

Captain Mark

Pretty water

There were a few bumps on the ride, we're hoping it will encourage the bean to make his debut :) Here is the bump, I don't think it's much bigger but it's definitely lower!

38 Week Update

Sorry for the late blog post! Last night we were preoccupied with homebrewing and I just forgot until it was too late I was a sleepy pregnant lady :) Mark put together a very tasty looking wheat beer for me last night. By the time the bean gets here, it will be ready to drink!

Not much to report this week. No indications that the bean will be making his debut anytime soon. My doctor did say that he is likely going to be over 8 pounds when he's born! Not too surprising since he has been measuring a little big all the way through the pregnancy. We're pretty much ready at this point, all we have left to do is pack a hospital bag and install the car seat. Very exciting!

Here is the bump!

37 Week Update

This bean is now full term! This just means that if he decides to come out early, they won't try to stop him and he won't be considered premature. But we both expect him to come late so we don't expect him to come out before April 17th. He seems to be pretty happy in there at the moment, lots of squirming around, though the movements are less severe since he's running out of room. He's probably weighing about 6.5 pounds now and will gain ~.5 lbs a week until he's born.

I now see the doctor every week. This week I had my first exam to check my dilation. The doc said that the bean is still high and I'm not dilated at all, another indication that he is quite happy right where he is! My feet & ankles are VERY swollen, though. They got pretty bad this week despite the fact that I was on spring break and not on my feet as much. As in even my flip flops don't quite fit. I wonder if the warmer weather has something to do with it. So far they haven't been too concerned about it other than to say we need to watch it. My blood pressure has been okay, so I'm hoping the swelling is just a benign symptom and not something that they will want to induce me early for. It does mean that my students will just have to deal with me wearing flops in class now since my teaching shoes aren't even close to fitting!

I'm also finding that some of my maternity clothes aren't fitting anymore too. Many of my shirts don't quite cover the bottom of the bump. So it will be lots of dresses for me for the next few weeks. Just as well, like I said it's getting warm down here! If I wasn't pregnant I would love it, but it just makes me hot now :)

We've been busy the last few weeks putting the nursery together. We are sill waiting on one or two more things but I think it's close enough to share. We are waiting on a cover for the changing pad, a different picture to put in the frame next to the glider, and I'm having trouble deciding on which cute Etsy pic to hang on the wall behind the glider. We did a lot of DIY things and I'm really happy with how things turned out! Here are the pics:

Nursery!

And here is the ever expanding bump!

36 Week Update

Only one month left! Or I should say at least one month, he may decide to show up early. We're excited to be so close to the finish. This week I started to really look forward to not being pregnant anymore. As you can see below, the belly is big and it's making me tired, hot, and uncomfortable :) I'm mostly looking forward to having ankles and sleeping comfortably again. I realize I won't be getting much sleep, but at least I'll be comfy when I do!

I had a nice surprise on Friday, my colleagues threw a surprise shower for me at school! It was very nice and I was quite surprised! Since it was a surprise, I didn't bring a camera but my friends Teresa and Erica took some with their phones:

UWF Baby Shower

We spent a lot of this weekend working on the nursery. It's still not ready to share (still waiting on a few things to get delivered), but we got a lot accomplished! I will hopefully knock out a few other baby to-dos this week since it's my spring break. This week I also start seeing the doctor every week until I deliver. Both exciting and annoying, ha.

I also finished another baby knit this week. This may be one of my most favorite knitted things ever. Meet Chadwick the Caterpillar (pattern here)!

He even rattles:)

One last picture for you, here is the bump!

35 Week Update

Hard to believe we have just over a month to go! The bean is probably weighing about 5 pounds these days which is certainly making everyday things like putting on shoes or bending over in general more difficult:) He has also taken to doing handstands on my bladder which is not helping in the frequent urination department, ha.

This weekend we went up to Atlanta to help Mark's parents put in new hardwood floors in their kitchen. That is to say, Mark helped with the floors and I worked on picking up a few things for the bean with Mary. We always seem to come back from visiting family with more things than we came with!

We still have some work to do on the nursery before I can share pics, but I am excited about one piece that arrived this weekend so I thought I'd give you a sneak peek. I ordered these drawer knobs from Etsy and they are so great!

We have numbers 1-6 for the dresser and then a B for Blalock on a side table.

All went well at the doctor this week, just the usual routine visit. In 2 weeks I start going every week until the end, yikes!

And here is the 35 week bump!

34 Week Update

Well with 6 weeks to go I've apparently crossed some imaginary belly boundary because this weekend strangers started to ask when I'm due and what I'm having. This hasn't happened up to this point so I must be pregnant enough that people are confident that I'm actually pregnant, ha. Thankfully, no one has gone for the uninvited belly touch and I hope it stays that way. I don't know why any stranger would think that is an okay thing to do!

The bean is quite active these days and according to the baby book he's now gaining 1/2 a pound a week until the last few weeks before birth (mostly putting on fat to help with temperature regulation after he's born). Naturally, that means I stocked up on Girl Scout cookies today! I think this will help him put on those extra pounds:)

Another doctors appointment this week and hopefully it will be as routine as the last ones so I won't have much to report other than things are on track. Pretty soon I'll have to go every week!

And here is the bump!

Bit of a goofy shadow, but you get the idea :)

33 Week Update

In one more month our bean will be fully cooked! Though of course we hope he hangs on a few more weeks since he'll be nice and chunky by then. But it's another reminder that things are getting close to the end. I also started feeling my first Braxton-Hicks (aka false labor) contractions this week. They aren't painful, but they are noticeable.

We had our childbirth class at the hospital yesterday. I was sort of dreading it, but I was pleasantly surprised. We had a very good instructor and while we didn't learn any new information (we've read the books etc.) we did learn some useful techniques. This meant I got to spend a lot of time relaxing in beanbag chairs while Mark massaged me :) Not bad for a Saturday! We also got a tour of the labor & delivery rooms, so it was a productive class.

And here is my big old bump!

P.S. We got a couple bean packages this week from some blog lurkers which was quite a surprise! Thank You cards are in the works, but thanks for the surprises :)

32 Week Update

8 Weeks left to go! Or I should say at least 8 weeks, he may decide to show up earlier. It's been another busy week for me (February has been a busy month). I was in New Orleans from Wednesday to Friday for a conference. But after being away last weekend for the shower, I was pretty much over traveling so I didn't venture out much in the city. It was also Mardi Gras meaning it was very crowded and noisy. So I was very glad to get home Friday night!

Today we had a couple classes at the hospital, an infant care class and a breastfeeding class. These were included in the childbirth class we signed up for that is next weekend. We found them helpful, even if it was a 5 hour marathon session. The classes mostly focused on what to expect during the first month, but we also got helpful information on immunization schedules etc.

I have some more baby shower pics courtesy of my my Aunt Tricia (the unofficial family photographer). I made a new album so you can check them out:

New Baby Shower Pics

And of course the bump pic. I'm feeling pretty large and in charge these days!

Mark wanted in on the fun too :)

31 Week Update

As expected, it was a busy week. I had a great trip to see family in Orlando, even though it was short. On Friday, a family friend did a 3D ultrasound so we got a sneak peek at the bean. Here are the best pictures we snagged:

This one is my favorite:

This was a special treat! You can decide if he looks more like me or Mark :)

The shower was a great success. We had it at a an English tea house and thanks to my Mom and my friend Cheryl it was lots of fun. I only have some pics since my Aunt Tricia took most of them, but here are a few:

Baby Shower

And of course, the weekly bump pic! If I look ragged it's because I just got done driving for 7 hours, ha.

30 Week Update

Sorry for the late post this week! Yesterday afternoon, I managed to spill some water on my laptop (thanks pregnancy induced clumsiness!) and so after a quick panic I dried it off as best I could and left it off overnight to let any water dry up. It turned on this morning so I think my crisis was averted! But that meant no bean post until now.

This week I hit the big 3-0! With 75% of the baking done, it feels like the homestretch. Though there is still a lot of stretching left to go :) This week will be very busy. I have 2 doctor's appointments tomorrow; one ultrasound and one regular checkup with my doctor. Then this weekend I'm making a quick trip down to Orlando for my baby shower! I'm excited to see lots of family and friends at the shower. So my next update will likely be full of pictures of the bean from the ultrasound and from the shower.

We were busy this past weekend too getting a few things prepared for the arrival. We got a crib and put it together, did some rearranging in the future nursery, and Mark is working on some floating bookshelves.

I'm still feeling well, although it's getting harder and harder to get comfortable especially at night. The 3rd trimester aches and pains are settling in too, with more lower back pain in the last week or so. Probably all signs of things to come in the next 10 weeks :) But it is easier to deal with knowing that it's all temporary.

Mark wanted to show off his super bowl bump this week, so here we are:

We had a friend over for the game so we made potato skins (which were delicious!) and pizza. Our friend also brought over chicken wings, so we were pretty stuffed!

29 Week Update

I'm not sure how well you can tell in the bump pics, but Mark and I agree that the belly got bigger in the last couple days. By now, the bean is 15 inches long and weighs about 2.5 pounds. I'm amused by all the fruit and vegetable analogies the baby websites give you for the size of your baby. This week he weighs as much as a butternut squash, ha. They certainly have to reach for some of these, one week he was an English hothouse cucumber. I'm not even sure I know what that is! Here is the bump for the week:

This weekend we took a quick visit up to Atlanta to visit with family and go to our nephew Wesley's dedication at church. He made a big splash at church by trying to eat the microphone during the prayer:) We were also able to acquire some handy consignment baby things. Nothing major but a few useful things like baby beach hats. But with 11 weeks left, it's time to get cracking on baby prep!

28 Week Update

It's been a busy work week around here (despite it being a short week), so there isn't much to report on the baby front. The bean has been very active lately and his movements are now big enough that I can see my belly move when he kicks or squirms around. It's quite amusing to watch the show!

Next week I have my 28 week check up that includes a gestational diabetes screening test. We're hoping that comes back with the all clear! It would be difficult to give up my nightly bowl of ice cream :) I'm still feeling good, though my energy levels are definitely going down. It's been an adjustment to get back to teaching the last couple weeks since I have both my classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. It's tough to get through that 2nd class!

Here is the 28 week bump, it's only going in one direction!

27 Week Update

This week marks the beginning of my 3rd trimester! We're getting closer to the end, though it still seems a long way away before we get to meet the bean. But since the semester started last week, I'm guessing the next 3 months will go by very fast. This week is also important developmentally too since his lungs are now working fairly well, the chances of survival should he come early are improved, and he can open his eyes now. From here on out it's mostly additional lung development and putting on pounds.

Generally, I'm feeling pretty good these days. Slowly but surely though it's getting a little harder to maneuver and I keep bumping my belly into things. My latest struggle has been finding dressy shoes for teaching that actually fit. My feet have been swollen since pretty early on, and it's not getting any better. I already have big feet too, so it's hard to find shoes that fit me even when they aren't swollen! I may just resort to wearing flip flops to class and telling my students they can deal with it :) And while I was able to still wear most of my regular shirts until recently, every week now it seems I'm playing the "what shirt will fit this week" game. So it will be more laundry for me while I cycle through the handful of maternity shirts that I have!

Here is the 3rd trimester bump!

26 Week Update

According to various online sources, our little guy is about 14 inches long now and almost 2 pounds! As expected my doctor's visit this week was uneventful. I heard a nice strong heartbeat and everything is measuring right where it should be. I will now start going every 3 weeks, just another sign that things are moving fast. I'm getting lots of kicks and movements too and they are getting stronger.

Here is the bump for the week:

25 Week Update

Happy New Year! Our New Year's Eve was quite uneventful. I was pretty tired after driving back to Pensacola, so I wasn't up to much more than watching TV. I did manage to stay up long enough to celebrate the new year in Eastern Time, but not Central:) I had a great visit with family and friends though, and now sad that it's back to work so soon.

While in Orlando, I did pick up some furniture at Ikea for the nursery. They didn't have a crib that I liked but I did pick up a dresser. So now we can get all the clothes we've been getting off the floor! The nursery is currently just acting as a place to store some of the baby items we've picked up and we haven't done much to it. But with 15 weeks left, I guess it's time to get on that. We're going with a sailing/beach theme for the nursery which is certainly appropriate for where we live. If you're curious, you can see some of the things we've picked out at our online registry here: http://babyli.st/baby-blalock-registry. Etsy.com has lots of cute decorative things related to sailing! We don't have any baby stores near us, so we're going to have to order most stuff online. Hence the online universal registry.

The bump has expanded this week, though some of that could be eating lots of tasty holiday food:

I have my 6 month check up next week, though hopefully everything is fine and I won't have much to report!