Our first week!

Oh my goodness! Where did the time go?? I already have a one week old!!

Needless to say, we have had a very exciting week! Dave and I have experienced so many new things together over the last 7 days. And so has little Ryan!

So far, we are very lucky parents. Ryan is making this parenting thing pretty easy on us. (Knock on wood!!) She is a good sleeper and a good eater, a good pooper and a pee-er. We joke that she is the best baby ever because her poo doesn't even stick to her. It just comes right off in her diaper and all she needs is a quick wipe! Mom dubbed her "Teflon Ryan". :) She sleeps good at night, with just a few exceptions...but she was just getting the hang of things, so we forgive her. When she fusses, she is pretty easy to settle down. She loves being talked to and sang to softly. At first, she preferred Daddy's voice, but now she seems to prefer Mommy's voice. She is very expressive and makes lots of faces. My favorite is her ooo face (rhymes with "you" and "two"...not sure on the spelling). She raises her eyebrows, puckers her lips, and opens her eyes up really wide. I call her my little squeaker, because she instead of moaning or goo goo and gahing, she squeaks...ridiculously cute. She loves her bottle, and when she is done, she loves to sleep on my chest...and I love it when she does...she is so soft and snuggly and cozy and warm and she smells so sweet. This is making me want to go hold her right now....

Sweet little girl, all bundled up!

After she was born, we had some visitors in the hospital Friday night. Both of my parents were there and Barbara (Nana B). My parents brought us some McDonald's for a quick supper, and my brother, John, came in around 7:00 pm. I could tell he really liked Ryan. He couldn't wait to hold her and take her picture. Ryan's Aunt Holly and Cousin Aurora came around the same time. Aurora brought her best friend, Lexi, also. Everyone took turns holding little Ryan. After everyone left that night, it was just mommy, daddy and Ryan for the very first time. She had her first meconium poo for the nurses right after she was born, but she had another that night, just for us. Luckily, it was NOT silent, so we were able to change her immediately before it dried into the "tar poo" we had heard so much about, and it was no big deal. We laughed a lot at the dark chocolate Jell-O pudding in her little diaper. We had heard so many horror stories about how bad the first few poos are, but this just came right off in the diaper, and really nothing stayed on her skin. Lucky us!

Dave did most of the "work" that night, since I had only had about 6 hours sleep in the past 48 hours, and my legs were still a little tingly from the epidural. I was afraid to walk around with Ryan because I kept picturing my legs giving out and me dropping her. I tried to sleep that night, but it was tough! Each time Ryan would squeak, I would bolt up to check on her. I was so in awe of her, I just stared at her in her little clear plastic tub next to my bed.

Dave was a wonderful daddy, from the very first moments. I showed him how to swaddle her and change her, and the nurses showed us both how to feed her, but he didn't need anyone to tell him how to love her more than anything! He was on cloud 9! She woke up a couple of times in the night, and we fed her and changed her. It didn't take us long to get over the fear of breaking her...it seems like you are always so clumsy at holding a baby until you have one of your own!

Ryan and mommy

Saturday, the hospital brought us a very special lunch, which they call a "Stork Meal". It was a nicer-than-usual hospital meal, complete with chilled "champagne" (sparkling white grape juice...which tastes just like champagne anyway!). It was a special touch that really made me smile, and just another reason to add to the long lists of reasons that I was so happy that we chose this hospital. They really do all they can to go the extra mile.

"Champagne" to celebrate!

Dave and I enjoyed our special Stork Meal together quietly, and talked and laughed together as Ryan slept. The food at the hospital was actually really good...it is kind of out in the country, and all of the food was really southern...I can just imagine some little old southern lady frying chickens and slicing peaches down in the kitchen.

My parents came to see us again that afternoon. Mom brought us some Reese's peanut butter cups, and said that she would have brought flowers, but she figured we would just prefer to have $40...she knows us so well! Our good friends Mike and Jayme came later that afternoon. They brought us some flowers and a balloon, and took lots of pictures of us and baby Ryan.

Mommy in the hospital

We decided to stay an extra night in the hospital, since we wouldn't be able to leave until after 8:00 pm, and it just didn't feel right to pack up a baby to take home for the first time so late at night. Dave ran down the street to get me a salad from Wendy's and a burger for himself.

Sunday morning, my doctor came to see us. I thought she was coming to check me out to make sure that I was okay to go home, but her visit was really more social. She said that she just wanted to check on us and see if we had any questions. We took a photo of her with Ryan and had her sign Ryan's special book.

Dr. McGee!!

We got all packed up to come home, and Dave started to change Ryan's diaper to get her ready to come home, as I called the nurse to let her know that we were ready for our discharge paper work. As I signed us off for discharge and the nurse gave me all of our discharge instructions, Ryan was brewing a special treat for daddy...he started changing her poopy diaper, only to find out that she wasn't quite done yet! I ran and grabbed some paper towels and threw them under her just as a little poo splat fell on them...and she just kept going, and going....and going. Just as she would finish, Dave would reach for a diaper and she would start going some more! Then she peed everywhere, and pooped a little more...this lasted about 20 minutes and we were both laughing our heads off!! She finally finished, and we put her special homecoming dress on her, strapped her in her shiny new car seat, and they wheeled us out to the car. We hugged our nurse goodbye, and we were on our own!!

My very special homecoming dress!

Mommy's belly, after we got home...it takes a few days to go down!!

We got home around noon and mom had been here all morning cleaning for us! We came home to a spotless house, which is always nice! The boys were staying at mom's house while we were in the hospital, and Nana B brought them home after we all got settled in. Ryan was sleeping in her cradle in the living room, and neither of the dogs noticed her at first. Tonka was the first to spot her, and it was love at first sight!! He was so curious, sticking his nose as far as he could through the cradle bars to get a whiff of his new baby sister. Grimm hasn't taken to her yet. At first, he was very jealous. He is always afraid that any newcomer is going to steal a bit of his thunder. He has started to warm up to her a little bit, but he really doesn't pay her any attention. Tonka, however, stands guard next to her crib when she is napping in her room, lays at our feet when we feed her, and sneaks kisses from her when she is in her bouncy seat. He is already very protective of her!

My big brother, Tonka, checking me out!

Brother Tonka, guarding little sister

Monday, mom, Barbara, and Cathy came over to see the baby. It was Cathy's first time getting to see her, and she held her for a long time. Mom and I gave Ryan her first at-home bath while Cathy read the paper to us that told us how to bathe her. After they left, Dave and I took Ryan for a walk around the neighborhood. As we were getting home, the lady across the street was in her yard and the lady next to us was pulling out of her driveway. They both spotted the baby stroller at the same time and came darting over!! They ooed and ahhed over Ryan and talked to us for quite a while.

Nana B

Aunt Cathy

Tuesday, we took Ryan to her first doctors appointment. While we were in the waiting room, Dave and I were smacked in the face with the very real fact that we were going to have to get used to being around other people's children....other people's completely rotten, horrible children. Our waiting room experience was the opposite of peaceful, and we jumped for joy when the nurse came out and called our name!! Ryan had to strip down completely and she decided to have a pee on the table scale. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz. Once we were in our room and everyone was dressed again, the doctor came in and we LOVED her!! She was so great! She was young, nice, easy to talk to, and you can really tell she adores babies and loves her job. She told Ryan over and over how beautiful she was, and she answered a lot of questions for us.

Our friend, Susie, stopped by after work to drop off a huge box of newborn diapers that her 3 month old had grown out of. We were just about to run out, and were going to go buy some more, but they grow out of them so fast that when she offered them, we gobbled them up! My parents came over and brought their dogs to introduce to the baby. J. Otis didn't really care too much, but Maisy was OBSESSED with Ryan. She was very curious and sat next to whoever was holding the baby at all times. Mom made dinner for us all, so I wouldn't have to cook, then we went to get some frozen custard. Ryan slept through the custard...I tried to give her a little taste on my finger, but she was out of it and didn't care.

Wednesday, daddy spent the day getting caught up on some household stuff and mommy made chocolate chip cookies for everyone. My mom came over and made chicken-n-dumpings so I wouldn't have to cook again...we have eaten very well this week!!

Napping with daddy

Thursday was a busy day for our little girl! She woke up around 8:00 am and had some breakfast. Then she sunbathed in her window for a while since she has a touch of jaundice. Then she had some lunch and then it was bath time! We were all going a little stir crazy from being cooped up in the house all week, so we took Ryan to Nana's house for the first time. Dave mowed her back yard while mom and I took Ryan shopping at Old Navy! Then we came back to our house for a photo shoot, which didn't go so well...Ryan was wide awake, and I was wanting more of the sleeping beauty photos. That night, our friends Greg and Valerie dropped by to meet Ryan. They were so very sweet and brought us dinner as well!! Valerie is in the process of making a playmate for Ryan - She and Greg are 14 weeks pregnant! We are so happy for them!!

Tanning in my window

Bath time!

Modeling for my photo shoot

And today (Friday) was another busy day for our little lady. We all got up this morning and went to my physical therapist's office so everyone there could meet Ryan. Everyone was so excited when she came in! My doctor held her, and she was ready for lunch, so we fed her while we were there. Next, we were off to Wal Mart to grab some game day onesies for the Georgia game tomorrow. Then we went to the produce stand for some fruits and veggies. Then daddy had to drop off our tattered American flag at the American Legion and then we had some dry cleaning to pick up. When we got home, our friend Samantha stopped by on her way to work to meet little Ryan. Ryan slept in her arms for over an hour and I told her all about the delivery day.

Actually, she's got daddy wrapped around HER finger...

So that was our first week with our little girl. I don't know where the time went!! I am so sad that she is already a week old! This is going to fly by, and it is really depressing to think about how fast she is going to grow up...can't she just stay little forever??

Precious.

The Sullivans

Have a great week!!

~the Sullivans

The Littlest Sullivan!

Before you read this, I would just like to say that every pregnancy and every delivery is different. This is OUR story, and will no doubt differ from every other birth story out there. Please understand that I worked very hard to make the past 9 months a positive experience for Dave, Ryan and I. I was fortunate enough to have an easy pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and very lucky to have a wonderful, patient, and loving husband to help me through it all. I also had my family here for me as a great support system, as well as an incredible doctor who helped to speed my labor along. I know that it won't be as easy for everyone as it was for me, and I in NO WAY intend for this to put anyone down or offend anyone who may have had a rougher time than I did.

Thursday night, I woke up around 1:00 a.m. to go to the bathroom and I couldn't go back to sleep. I was having some pains low in my abdomen, but I thought that it was just some major gas bubbles shifting around. I eventually nodded off here and there, but I kept getting up, over a dozen times, to go pee. At around 5:00 a.m. I noticed that the pain was coming and going pretty regularly, but still just thought it was gas bubbles. I started to watch the clock and noting when the pains were coming, and they were pretty irregular, like every 4-7 minutes. It never crossed my mind that these could be contractions, because it just didn't feel anything like what I thought contractions would feel like. Contractions are supposed to really hurt, and this was just mildly uncomfortable. People told me that they would feel like really bad cramps, and this is definitely not what MY cramps have ever felt like, this was no where near as bad, and I really don't even get cramps! When Dave got up to get ready for work, I told him about the pains and he asked if I thought they could be contractions. I told him that if they were, it had to be some kind of false labor because it didn't hurt enough. We decided he should just go to work, and I would just go to physical therapy like normal and if I was still having the pain after that, I would go to the doctor to have her check me out.

Mom came over to take me to PT, just in case anything happened. By the time I got to PT, I had warmed up to the idea that these were indeed contractions, because they were getting more and more regular. I had one of the therapists time me with a stop watch while I did my therapy, and sure enough, by the time my appointment was over, they were 5 minutes apart. So basically, I was doing my physical therapy workout in LABOR!! Haha, now THAT is dedication!

As mom and I headed home, I called the doctor to let her know that I was contracting every 5 minutes and she said that she would call Labor and Delivery at the Hospital and tell them I was on my way! I asked if I should call Dave and have him come home from work, and she said that I wouldn't be leaving the hospital without a baby, so daddy would definitely want to come. I was stunned!!! I figured I would go to the hospital, they would check me out, and just send me home because I wasn't far enough along yet.

I called Dave and told him it was time and he just dropped everything and said "okay! I'm on my way!" Mom and I swung by the house to pick up the hospital bags and shift into my car (where the car seat is). Nana B came over to get the dogs and they were insane! They could sense what was happening!!

Mom drove me in my car to the hospital. We stopped at McDonald's on the way so I could load up on some food before having to endure who-knows-how-many hours of labor. (They will not let you eat anything once you are admitted until you have the baby). I forced myself to eat most of a 20 piece chicken nugget and a pack of sliced apples...semi-healthy and bland so as to not get acid reflux during labor! Mom timed my contractions on the way - each time I would have one, I would just kind of close my eyes and take deep breaths - by the time we got to the hospital, they were about 4 minutes apart.

We arrived at the hospital right at noon, and Dave was already there. He had been pacing back and forth in the lobby, waiting patiently, but bursting with excitement! We got registered and they wheeled me back to my room!

The nurse had a cup out for me to give a urine specimen, so I headed to the restroom to fill it. I thought that I was going crazy when liquid went all over the place while I was trying to fill the cup...I have been peeing in much smaller cups for the past 9 months at my OB/GYN and never spilled a drop...I would later realize that this was actually when my water broke, but we will come back to that later!

The nurse came in to give me a gown to put on, and saw that I hadn't sterilized myself before filling my cup, so I had to do another one. This time, everything went where it was supposed to go and I dumped the previous cup down the toilet.

By 12:30, I was sitting in my hospital bed in my super sexy XXL, "one-size-fits-some" gown, in awe that today was the day!! The nurse came in to check me and said that I was 4 cm dilated. She hooked my belly up to a heart monitor for the baby, and another monitor for my contractions. They came and took 6 vials of blood from me, got me hooked up to an IV, and gave me 2 big bags of antibiotics and some Pitocin to speed things along. Around 2:30, I was just thinking that we were going to be waiting quite a while, when my doctor walked in! Usually, the doctor doesn't come until the very end, so I asked her why she was so early. She checked me and said that I was 5 cm and asked if I wanted my water broken before or after the epidural...she said that she could do it before so that I could experience "real labor" if I wanted, and I told her to do it AFTER!! Then she asked when I wanted my epidural...WHAT???!!! I can have it ALREADY???!!! She told me that once I order the epidural, it can still take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more to get it, since you have to have 30 minutes of some kind of IV drip before it goes in, the anestiologist has to come up, prep everything, and put it in, and then it can take 15 minutes or more to kick in. I didn't feel like my contractions were bad enough yet, so I told her to wait until 3:15 to see how I felt. At 3:15, she convinced me to go ahead and order it and around 4:00, the anestiologist came in with a big blue cart that I refused to let myself look at. It took him a little while to get set up, and just his presence made me nervous!

right after they got me all set up in my hospital bed

The whole day, I had kind of zonked myself out...I was trying to just keep very calm and relaxed, taking each minute as it came and not allowing myself to fret over what painful and/or scary situation may come next. I kept to myself, mostly, and was very quiet and spaced out most of the time. Every time someone came in to stick me with something, I would have Dave hold my hand and just sit with me. He makes me feel more relaxed and comfortable.

The nurses started kicking everyone out of the room because only one person can stay with me while I get the epidural. On the way out, Mike said "my agenda says 6:00 pm...have this baby by then, okay?"

Just before my epidural...ouch!

When the anestiologist told me to sit on the side of the bed, I started to really clam up. I got extremely nervous, hot and sweaty. I told Dave to squeeze my hand as hard as he could and not stop, and I buried my face in his chest. The anestiologist gave me a shot in my back to numb the area, which actually was not bad! Just a little pin prick. Next he threaded the epidural down my back which felt really gross. He told me that I would feel a pain shoot down my leg and *~ZAP!!!~* ...it felt like someone cut off my leg and slapped me in the back of the head!! It was BY FAR the most intense, worst pain of the day. He put a test dose into the catheter and my legs started to tingle. He taped it down, and I was done!! Whew! That was way easier than I ever imagined! Later, I admitted to Dave that I was so nervous that I almost passed out at one point, but somehow managed to keep it together. Oh, and by the way, I had 2 serious contractions while he was running this thread into my spine...so that was comfy!!

Just as he was finishing up, the doctor came back in. She went to break my water, only to find that there was no water to be broken...remember the urine specimen incident I was telling you about before? About this time it starts to dawn on me that the liquid that went all over the place had to have been my water breaking since it obviously didn't break at any other time, and there was no water left to be broken...I was a little bummed - I wanted to know what it was like.

After the unsuccessful breaking of the water, my doctor checked me again and I heard her say "Okay, we are ready!" I was in total shock! You've GOT to be kidding me, right?!? I had only been at the hospital for 5 hours!! And besides that, I wasn't completely numb yet! The nurse stepped out to go get my mom so that we could start pushing. When she came in, the doctor explained to mom and Dave how to hold my legs and feet, since I was getting pretty numb down there and couldn't move for myself. Then she explained to me how to push.

Once my epidural kicked in, I couldn't feel the contractions in my low abdomen anymore. I only felt them on the left side of my very low back. It kind of felt like a deep charley horse. But when I would push, I felt no pain at all...no contraction, no (ahem) ripping, tearing, or cutting. I could feel that things were happening down there, I could feel movement and dull pressure, but that was it. It was nothing like what I expected. This was a breeze!

When each contraction would come, I would tell everyone it was coming. Mom and Dave would pull back my legs as I pulled myself up and Dave lifted me from under my pillows. I would tuck my chin down and push as hard as I possibly could. My doctor would count to 10...lingering for 5 or 6 seconds on the 9 (she called it her "shady counting"). When she would get to 10, Dave would lay me back, I would take a deep breath, and we would do it all over again. We did this 3 times for each contraction. Within just a few contractions, the doctor could see the top of her head.

The doctor and all of the nurses were telling me that I was an awesome pusher, and that "everybody should push like this!" I was kind of flattered, and amazed, because this was literally my "first rodeo" and I had NO idea what I was really doing! I just tried to focus on getting Ryan here as quickly as I possibly could so she could have the least amount of birth trauma possible.

Delivery really wasn't that hard for me. I have worked very hard over the last 9 months to eat well for the baby, as well as stay in shape. I worked out twice a week at physical therapy and twice a week at the gym, to make for a smooth delivery. Contractions were getting a little hard to take just before I got the epidural, but Dave helped me breath through them and he was an EXCELLENT coach. At one point, I noticed him wiping my head with a cold, damp cloth, and I never even asked him to! Pushing wasn't hard, it was just tiring. I only had to push for 45 minutes, and towards the end it was just getting hard to hold my pushing for the full 10 count. I found myself having to breath in mid-count and kind of start over, which may have been a good thing, because I think it made me push harder on the tail end of the push.

I thought that I would be really bashful about everyone looking and poking around down there, but let me tell you...NOTHING makes you less bashful than giving birth! I did not give one flip about who saw what was going on down there! I didn't have time to really even care about it, I was so focused and zoned in on what I was doing. Dave thought that he wouldn't be able to look as she was coming out, because it would gross him out, but the doctor called him down to see, and he looked, and he said that there was nothing gross about it at all...everything is SO different from what you think it will be when it is actually happening!!

The doctor told me that a few more good pushes and the baby would be here...she held her pinky finger up and pointed at her top knuckle with her thumb and say "you are THIS close to meeting Ryan!" We all looked at the clock...it was 5:45. We were all saying "go, go, go! We can't let Mike be right about the time!!"

A few minutes later, the doctor stood up and told me that on the next contraction, she was going to tell me when to push and when to stop. When she said stop, I would have an overwhelming urge to push, but that I shouldn't. (oh great!) My doctor is usually really goofy and funny, but she got really serious with me all of a sudden, and I knew that this was it! I had the nurse read the monitor to tell me when the contraction was starting, and when it did, we pushed one last push (the doctor never had to tell me to stop). She said "look here, look here!" I looked down to see her holding up this tiny little girl, completely purple with white goo all over her, made up of mostly arms and legs. She was silent at first, and the whole world stopped in that instant as I waited, breathless, to hear her cry. She started to cry this tiny little cry (she is a pretty quiet baby) and the world started moving again - at the fastest pace you can imagine! I burst into tears and Dave hugged me and held me as I cried. "She's here! She's here!", we sobbed. When he pulled away, I saw a few tears on his cheek...it was so very sweet! It was only the 2nd time I've seen Dave cry (the other was when my family dog, Opie, passed away). They took the baby to the warmer to get her cleaned up and I told Dave to go with her. I was staring at her from my bed, watching them clean her up as she cried. I was so preoccupied that I didn't even notice that mom was still standing with me...I said "you don't have to stay here! Go!!" She was over to the baby in no time! Everyone was so excited to see her.

I wanted to share this picture with you all...I look dreadful in it, but it was taken just moments after hearing Ryan's first cry. You can see my mom's hands on me, and the emotion in this picture is just endless.

Ryan Ella Sullivan came into this world at 6:02 pm on August 27th, 2010, a Friday. She weighed 7 lbs, 4.4 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Her APGAR score was 8-9. She had lots of dark brown hair, gorgeous big blue eyes, and a mommy and daddy that instantly loved her beyond measure.

Daddy's hand and daddy's girl

Everyone has told me that you don't even notice the doctor patching you up and all of the stuff that has to happen with you AFTER the baby is out, but they were all incorrect because I definitely noticed! I had to do one last push to get the baby's "first home" out, and I told the doctor that I didn't need to see any part of that! Then she stitched me up, which didn't hurt, it just felt really weird. Kind of like when you get a tooth drilled at the dentist...you are numb, so you can't feel it, but you are constantly on edge that at any moment they will drill too far and you will feel it! It seemed like it took an eternity for her to finish, but once she did, they brought the baby over to me and I got to hold her and look into her eyes for the first time.

I held her for a few moments, and it was so surreal. All this time I have been waiting for this moment, and it is finally here. She was such a good baby, from the very first minutes. She didn't cry as I held her, just stared at me with these big gooey eyes. As much as I wanted to hold her forever, I couldn't wait to let Dave hold her. I have held her in my belly for 9 months, and I was so excited for him to be a daddy. I handed her to him and it was love at first sight! I honestly don't remember a lot about our first few moments with her. Everything was just moving so fast. I wish I could remember the exact words that were said, or exactly what we did, but it is all a blur.

Our family

Daddy

Mommy

The happiest guy in the whole world!

The hospital has a button for the dads to push when the baby is born and it plays a lullaby throughout the entire hospital to let everyone know that there has been a new arrival. Dave got to go out in the hall and push it. Very cute!

I was so excited to show her off to the world. I asked the nurse when people could come in, and she said "Anytime!" So Dave walked out to the waiting room to get Mike and Barbara. "It's a girl!", he said. Barbara asked if everything went okay, and they said that they heard the lullaby playing, but didn't know what it was for.

They came back, and mom was holding her. She passed her off to Mike, who is a very proud Papa...he kind of hoarded her for a while, and we had to finally tell him to let Barbara hold her!

Nana loves baby Ryan!!

Proud Papa!

After everything was over, I sat in my bed and just could not stop telling everyone how shocked I was at how EASY it was. Giving birth was the polar opposite of what I expected it to be. On TV and in the movies, the mother always screams and grunts and cries. Most of the stories I have heard are about mothers being in labor for hours on end, only to have to push for hours and hours. My experience was nothing like that. I never screamed. I never felt any overwhelming pain (thank you Mr. Epidural!!), I never felt out of control of my situation.

I was also amazed at how much I controlled the whole process. I had expected to have a nurse reading my contraction chart and telling the doctor when to have me push, at which time the doctor would demand that I push and tell me when to stop, when to go, when to stop, when to go. It was nothing like that. As soon as I felt a contraction coming on, I would tell THEM when I was ready to push. You can tell when a contraction is about to start because the baby moves a lot. Sometimes she would ball up, and other times she would flail around and kick me all over. I would say that it was coming, to get ready, aaaaaand.....okay, it's here, I'm going to push now! There was even one time when the doctor stepped away for a second to get something, and I started needing to push. I asked if I could go on without her, and she said "SURE!" So Dave counted for me and we went about our business by ourselves!

I don't know how or why I was able to stay so calm. Like I said before, I kind of zonked myself out and took every minute as it came, and thought only about that minute, not what may or may not happen next. I am amazed that someone like me with ZERO pain tolerance could have such a wonderful experience.

The hospital and the staff were BEYOND great. I had the absolute BEST doctor and the absolute BEST delivery nurse that I can possibly imagine. Ryan was born right at shift change, and the next nurse to come in was amazing too. She was especially great at showing me how to care for myself. I couldn't walk for several hours because my left leg was still numb, and she just took really good care of me.

So that is our story. I would do it all over in an instant for my sweet little baby girl. She is the cutest thing that you have ever seen, and she can not wait to meet you all!!

~the Sullivans

39 weeks

This week started out extremely quiet. Really not much to report. We are just lying low and enjoying our last few days as just us and the boys.

Dave hurt his leg this week. He was up on a ladder driving some stakes in the yard for a trellis for some pole beans he planted, and a piece broke on the ladder and he fell. The ladder hit his shin, and it has been really swollen ever since. He acts like it hurts pretty bad, but doesn't think it is broken or anything. Just the other night, though, he noticed that the entire side of his foot and heel is blood red, black and blue. Not a good sign. I asked one of my doctors about it and they said that it sounds like a deep bone bruise. If it is not better in a few days, we are going to get it looked at.

Mom made a cute little doll for Ryan this week. She has accessories too...a bib, diaper, change of clothes...very cute!! We also made some basket liners for the baskets I bought last week for the changing table. They were kind of a pain to make, so I am glad that they are done!!

the Nana doll

basket liners...the baskets are the perfect size!

Mike has been teasing me about how big my belly is, so I got out a tape measure and had mom measure us...his belly is a full 10 inches bigger around than mine at 9 3/4 months pregnant. HA!!

So, people have told me the entire 9 months "you are so tiny to be that far along!" or "you sure don't look (x) months pregnant"....well, that has all changed this week. Monday, 3 different total strangers told me "you look like you are about to pop any minute!" We thought that maybe it was a sign or something, but here I am...still pregnant. But I have been told that repeatedly this week, so apparently I look pretty big!

Another weird thing that happened was that mom and I had to go to the mall to grab something for Mike, and one of the teenage boys working there asked me what I was having and what name we had picked out. I told him a girl named Ryan, and he looked at me funny and siad "I think you should name her Emily". Weird because #1-what high school boy cares about this? and #2- Emily was the only other name we even considered! I was really freaked out. He was weird all around.

Thursday after the gym, mom treated me to a manicure and pedicure. I got my toenails painted pink, in honor of the pending arrival of our little girl :)

We had a check up Thursday at the doctor. She came in the room and asked if I had had any contractions. When I said no, she couldn't believe it. She said "this is BORING!!" haha. Dave told her that he thinks Ryan is content to just stay put forever! Well, I told her that she was more than welcome to do whatever she could to get things moving, and she decided to check me. She said that I was a good 2 centimeters dilated!! Then she stripped my membranes...which basically means that she manually fished around in there and tore the membranes connecting my bag of water to my cervix. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it is supposed to stimulate labor, so I will take it!! Ryan either loved it or hated it, because she didn't stop moving HARD from the time we left the doctor until we went for a walk...5 hours after we got home. The way that everyone was looking at each other, it seemed like this was really going to do the trick. They didn't want to make me an appointment for next week, because I most likely wouldn't need it. So we are waiting on pins and needles for my water to break or for SOME type of contraction. Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock....I feel like a walking time bomb!!

~the Sullivans

38 weeks

Any day now...

We are in the final hour here people! It is starting to look like a baby's house around here! Bottles are in the cupboard, the stroller is next to the front door, the nursery is overflowing with clothes, swings, bouncers, blankies, shoes, socks, diapers, wipes....everything except pacifiers....NO pacifiers....well, we do have one that my aunt Sheila gave us, just in case. My dad took my car to get cleaned over the weekend to get all of the Grimm and Tonka hair out of it, and Monday Dave installed the car seat. I am driving around with an empty car seat in my car!

Sunday afternoon, our friends Mike and Hope were driving through our area on their way home to Charlotte. We met up with them at the Mall of Georgia to hang out for an hour or two. The guys had some coffee while we sat and caught up, and Hope gave Ryan the cutest hand made sleeper and matching bib. Her mom makes baby and toddler clothes, and they are so cute and so well made! We walked around for a bit, then got some ice cream before they had to take off.

The sleeper from our friends Mike & Hope...so cute!!

Monday afternoon, my friend Ami had her baby, Melody Marie. We went to meet her Tuesday, and she is SO beautiful! She has a full head of ridiculously thick and dark hair. Congrats Ami and Rob!!

While we were at the hospital, Ami and I were trying to get the nurse to sneak me some drugs to make me go into labor. She wouldn't, of course, but she told me that one way to try to nudge labor along is to drink raspberry tea...yes, I am drinking it right now. I am very ready to meet Ryan, as well as be able to wear my old clothes and be small and active again!

Wednesday mom made a cute little chair pad for Ryan's chair and started on a baby doll for her too, while I polished off the last of my thank you notes from the baby shower. My parents came over for dinner, then we went to get ice cream and drove out to the hospital to map out our route. It takes about 20-25 minutes. We take mostly back roads to avoid any traffic. The funny thing is, that the hospital in Snellville that is WAY closer to our house takes about the same amount of time to get to due to the traffic and crazy number of stoplights.

Chair pad

Yesterday afternoon we had another weekly check up. As usual, everything is perfect. I of course don't WANT any complications, but a small part of me was hoping for SOME reason for the doctor to say "you know, we should go ahead and go to the hospital for delivery." I am getting so antsy! Ryan is considered full term at this point, and if I were to go into labor, the doctor isn't going to try to stop me.

Last night, we went to Buffalo's with my parents for dinner. I heard that spicy foods can make the baby come, so mom and I shared some Pepcid and hot wings. It was the first spicy food that I have eaten in months, due to my fear of acid reflux. It didn't work, as Ryan is still not here, and thankfully I didn't have any fire in my throat in the middle of the night.

This afternoon mom and B met me at Target because I was bored and just wanted to walk around. Walking is also supposed to help baby want to come :) . We just piddled around for an hour or so, and when we came back to my house, there was a big box of goodies on the front step from Grandma (Dave's mom, Denise). She sent lots of clothes and blankies for Ryan, as well as a couple of books and some formula. Thanks Grandma!!

A sleepy daddy relaxing in Ryan's rocker

Vintage-y lamb I made for Ryan

Here we are at 38 weeks...9 1/2 months!!!

Well, that is all for now. Have a great week!

~the Sullivans

37 weeks

We have had a pretty quiet week around here. Just trying to lay low and get some last minute things done before Ryan moves in.

Wednesday morning we had a "Special Delivery" on our front porch - a baby swing from my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Scott. It matches the boucer that some friends of our got for Ryan and it is super cute. Thank you so much Scott & Jeanne!!

Mom finished hand quilting the crib quilt this week. I gave it a quick wash to make it crinkle around the edges and it is FINALLY done! I decided not to put her name stitchery on the quilt...if any of the embroidery ever started coming out, it would be a pain in the neck to fix it, and I want this quilt to be durable for years to come. I am planning on adding her birthday to the stitchery after she is born and framing it in her room.

Here it is hanging on her crib

We had our first weekly check up at the doctor Thursday. Everything was great. My blood pressure is perfect - 120/71. The baby weighs about 6 pounds and is head down. Her heart beat sounded really good as well. I had to get some more blood drawn and it was the absolute best experience I have EVER had for getting stuck. I didn't feel it at all, and she must not have needed very much blood, because she was done in 2 seconds. So, overall it was a great visit.

My dad came home from Canada today and won't be traveling anymore until after the baby is born. Everyone is hunkering down for the final push (quite literally! haha) I made a big dinner tonight, and I told everyone that it will be the last big, involved meal that I cook until after I have the baby...standing for such long periods of time on the hardwoods is really hard on my feet and legs and I get really tired. I even get winded, since my lungs are being squished.

The boys have been allowed to go into the baby's room for a week or two now. They are very curious and sniff around to see what all of these new things are. We hung a few more things on the walls in the baby's room...

An old cheese basket I found at a primitves store in Cleveland filled with 3 of my old toys from when I was a baby.

A shelf that was previously in our bedroom filled with sheep

Here we are at 37 weeks...big, big, BIG!

Mom and I went to Babies R Us and Target again today to get a few more last minute things we were still needing. The main reason we went was to get mom a car seat base for her car and we had a coupon valid for today. We ended up getting a few more things, but not too much...Ryan already has everything!! At Target, I picked up some baskets for the shelves in her changing table. I have been needing them for months, and just never had the dimensions with me, but today I wrote them down before we left, and I was able to find some that fit PERFECTLY, like they were made just for those little shelves. Mom and I will have to make some liners for them this week.

We unpacked all of the bottles, formula, and other feeding accessories this week. I had to move things around to make room for it all!

Ryan has been moving around a lot this week. She is moving in a different way...more like an actual person would rather then just kicks and squirms. Her little feet are right below my left ribs and when she stretches, you can see her feet stick out and go back and forth! I definitely think that she is ready to meet all of us...she is pretty restless and ready for some new scenery. I got a little scared last night...my mom told me that when her water broke with me, she heard this weird sound, and I woke up from a dead sleep last night because I heard the same sound. It was this huge rumble in my belly. I thought "oh my goodness, this is it...my water is going to break" and I got really scared. I laid there for a few minutes expecting the gush, but nothing ever happened, so I just went back to sleep. I suppose it was just some things shifting around in there. I don't want to be scared when it happens, but I guess I won't be able to help it...I was pretty scared in that moment. Scared of the impending pain, scared of my helplessness over the situation, scared of the enormous change that is about to happen in my life. This week I have become extremely aware that she can come at any time. I feel very ready MOST of the time, but sometimes I have a little voice in my head that thinks about how UN-ready I really am. What if I can't handle the pain of labor? I have to get a needle in my back??!! What if I don't feed her right? How do I strap her in the car seat? What if she is allergic to dogs??? How do I teach her what she needs to know?? Will I ever be able to let anyone hold her without scrubbing them down first?? And, oh my gosh, let's not even TALK about SIDS!

....But I know that all of those questions and concerns will be answered with time and experience and I just have to try to go with the flow. Ryan and I have Dave here to go through all of this with us, and we will just take each day as it comes.

Well, that is it for this week. Have a great week!

~the Sullivans

36 weeks...that's 9 months!!!

As of yesterday, I am 9 months pregnant. I just can't believe it...it seems like only yesterday we were finding out on Christmas Eve that we were expecting. We started with absolutely nothing for a baby, and now we have an entire nursery that is stocked and ready with every little thing one could need. We are enjoying our last few quiet weeks as a couple with two four legged babies before we bring home a human baby to turn this house upside down.

Ryan's crib quilt - we just need to put the trim on the outside edges, and it will be done!

Everyone is in "expectant mode". Mom and Dave actually answer the phone now when I call...it could be THE call, so everyone is on high alert. :)

My cousins, Leah and Lane have been in town this whole week. We took them shopping at the outlets, went to BabyLand (where Cabbage Patch Kids are born), went downtown to eat and look in some cool shops, went to the bookstore, played yard games, swam, and made some crafty jewelry.

My cousins, Leah and Lane, at BabyLand

One of the babies at BabyLand had Ryan's coming home dress on!

This past Saturday, my good friend, Ami, had her baby shower. She is only 2 weeks "more pregnant" than I am. She is a much smaller girl than me, so her belly looks HUGE on her petite frame!

Ami and I compare bellies...if you are wondering what is so funny, she is only 5 feet tall, so I am trying to get down on her level.

It has been a super busy week, and I have felt so behind on everything. I have several projects that I am working on for people, lots that I still want/need to do before Ryan moves in, still doing physical therapy twice a week and the gym twice a week, the house is a mess...oh, and I can't sleep at night. If I get 4 hours (never all at one time) I am lucky.

We got Ryan's car seat and stroller this week. It is really nice. The one we wanted isn't sold in stores anymore, so I ordered it off of the internet, and ended up saving around $60! Dave's task this weekend is to figure out the proper way to install the car seat in the car, and then teach me. We put my 5 pound dumbbells in it to see how heavy it would be with a baby in it...it is not light! And with my bad back, I hope that physical therapy has healed me enough to be able to transport my child!

Ryan is very active. She enjoys kicking mommy in the ribs. Last night I had some pain so low in my abdomen that I thought it might have been a contraction, but I figured it was just Ryan stretching out as hard as she could and her head or hands were pushing really really hard on my bladder, or some other organ down there.

I am hoping she comes soon. I have had a wonderful pregnancy, but this last month is going to be tough. I am ready to have my body back, to feel normal again, to have hips that feel 28 years old, not 80. My lack of sleep lately has made me a little emotional and even though I don't feel ugly or fat or any of that, I get really down about myself. Dave has been wonderful. He comes home from work and helps me clean the house or does the dishes since my belly makes it hard to reach the sink. And he comforts me and takes care of me and doesn't really expect a whole lot out of me. I am so scatter-brained that he has had to make most of the decisions lately, from what to have for dinner to which baby gate to buy.

My good friend, Samantha, went to the park with us today to take some belly pictures for us. It was really, really hot, but we got a few good shots in spite of the heat.

2 of my favorite shots so far...haven't had time to look through them all just yet!

Here is the necklace I made (from scratch) to wear for our maternity photo shoot...just thought I would brag a little :) I love it!

Here are a few pictures from Ryan's baby shower. As I said in my last post, my friend Jayme took the pictures, so I had to get them from her. That is why I didn't post them last week.

Sweet pink booties on the yummiest petitfours ever!

Jayme, me, and Samantha - my girls that put the whole shindig together!

Cutting the cake...strawberry!!

The "Bottle Game"

A gift from my Democratic friend, Jayme...a onesie that says "Wee-publican"

Ami and I compare bellies

That is all for now! Have a great week!

~the Sullivans