Praying for a Rainbow

Ryan's first tooth made its appearance on October 10, 2013! You can see it on the bottom right gum in this bath time photo from a few days later. Also, Ryan is all set for Halloween! We can't wait to take our little owl trick-or-treating.

I am a little behind on this since Ryan turned 6 months old on September 12, but he went to the pediatrician last week, and here are his stats: Weight: 15 lbs 9 oz Height: 25 1/2 inches Head circumference: 42 1/2 inches They didn't tell us the percentiles this time, so I'm not sure what they are. Ryan is such a joy. He wakes up smiling every morning. He can sit up now and loves playing on the floor with blocks or in his Exersaucer or Jumparoo. He is eating 3 meals a day of solids, in addition to formula. So far he loves all fruits and vegetables and rice cereal! We are working with him on rolling from back to tummy. I don't want to teach him to crawl just yet :) He doesn't sleep through the night yet but wakes up at least 3-4 times. Hopefully once his teeth come through he will sleep a little better!

Ryan had his 4-month check-up last week. He is weighing in at 12lb 11oz (9th percentile) and 23 1/4 inches (3rd percentile), so he's still a little runt, but he remains on his growth curve. He occasionally rolls from tummy to back and can smile, laugh, coo, and grab items like his football. We were given the go-ahead to start rice cereal, so he has been loving that for the past few days. Last night it even helped him sleep from 8pm-6:15am with only a few wake ups in between. He also went for his first swim in Mimi and Adda's pool last weekend. He was incredibly serious the whole time. We decided he might be too young to appreciate splashing in the water just yet. Here are a few of our favorite recent pics:

I can't believe it has been two months since I gave birth to Ryan. Like everyone says, it is hard to imagine life without him now. He is finally smiling and cooing like a pro. Nothing makes getting up at 5-6am more worth it than seeing him smile at me and smelling his baby scent (well, dark roast K-Cups help too :)) He can roll over from stomach to back and loves his play mat and swing. He is going about 4 hours between feedings, so not quite sleeping through the night yet. Here are some pictures from month 2:

Ryan gave me his first real smile this morning at 7 weeks and 5 days old! I could see it light up his eyes. It made last night's fussiness and lack of sleep worth it :) Hopefully soon I will catch it on camera. These are some videos I took the other day of Ryan playing on his mat and then having some tummy time (which he didn't enjoy). He really loves looking at the colors of his toys and mirror.

I found this letter that I wrote to Ryan, aka "Baby S," the morning I found out I was pregnant. I can't believe that this: has actually become this sweet little guy: Here is the letter: July 18, 2012 My dear Baby S, What an amazing morning. Right now, this is a secret between just you and me. And your big sister Faith. You had a sister who did not live outside my tummy. She was beautiful and would have loved you so much. You are my rainbow. I had a feeling you were coming soon. Last week, the neighbors across the street took a picture of our house with a rainbow landing right in it. Your Aunt Val also dreamed last week that I got two positive pregnancy tests. I love you so much. I’m scared to death. I just want to sit in the house on our couch for the next 8 months to try to keep you safe. I can’t do that, though. Please know that I love you so very much. Please grow strong and healthy and be born healthy. You are due March 31, 2013. How are we going...

Here is Ryan's birth story in timeline form: March 12, 2013 12am- Admitted to L&D for scheduled induction at 37w2d 1 am- Cytotec inserted to begin softening the cervix and start contractions 2:30-3am- Contractions became too strong and close together and baby was not handling them well, so the nurses came in to give me a shot of terbutaline to slow them down and oxygen to bring his heart rate back up. Everything ended up fine! 3-6am- Contractions were getting more regular, stronger, and uncomfortable. The nurse encouraged me to get my epidural before the OB came to break my water, and I happily obliged! 6:15am- 3 cm dilated, got epidural 7am- My mom arrived at the hospital and Joey woke up from his sleep on the not-so-comfortable couch bed. I was comfortable and resting (and putting on make-up :)) *At some point in here, the nurse started me on the lowest dose of Pitocin, but when the OB arrived, she told her to stop it because my contractions were regular and s...

Sorry this is so late, but here is Ryan Joseph, born at 10:56 am on March 12. Stats: 5 lbs 13 oz, 19 in long. He is beautiful and such a good baby. I promise to get a birth story up soon!

As of yesterday, I am now considered full term! At my doctors' recommendations, tonight is the night for induction of labor. We have to be at the hospital at midnight to start the process. God-willing, Ryan will be born happy and healthy sometime tomorrow. He was measuring 5lbs 15oz last week, so we are expecting around a 6-lb baby. The notion that in a few days we will be bringing home a newborn still doesn't quite seem real. I admit, it is a pretty scary thought, but I seem to be as ready as I'm going to be. I absolutely cannot wait to hear Ryan cry, to hold him, look into his eyes and kiss him. I know it will be a bittersweet moment as Faith will be on our minds as well. I believe that she will be with us. I plan on wearing my "FAITH" bracelet and her birthstone ring while I'm in labor to remind me of her life. If you are FB friends with me, watch there for updates and pictures tomorrow!

Here is Ryan's nursery! I managed to get it cleaned up enough to take some pictures. I am still waiting on the wall letters that say "RYAN" to hang above his crib. This Etsy seller is making me a little nervous, as she was supposed to ship them 2 weeks ago, and I haven't received them. I emailed her 5 days ago but haven't heard back. Hopefully they will arrive eventually. I still have a couple of more pictures to hang as well. Don't worry, he won't sleep in the crib with all that stuff in it! The wall letters will look like this, except obviously in blue:

I am so excited to have reached 35 weeks. Right now the plan is to induce labor at 37 weeks, so just 2 weeks to go! When I see my OB on Thursday we will hopefully be able to schedule induction for the week of March 10. Last Wednesday we started twice weekly BPP's ( biophysical profiles ). Ryan scored perfectly, so the MFM decided we don't have to keep doing them so often. Starting this week, I think we are just doing them once weekly. I have had 2 wonderful showers in the last 2 weeks, plus another one thrown by some of Joey's coworkers at his office. We have almost all of the supplies we need, Ryan's clothes are washed, our hospital bags are packed, and the nursery is almost ready! Once all of the pictures are hung and we get his nursery letters, I will post some pictures. For now, I will leave you with a 35 week bump pic:

Today marks 32 weeks, and I'm feeling pretty huge! I am just thankful to still be pregnant and feel our baby kicking inside me. Yesterday my parents treated us to a 3D/4D ultrasound. It was amazing! Ryan was pretty stubborn and drove the technician crazy. He insisted on moving around a lot and putting either a hand or foot in front of his face. We got some great shots, though. I had no idea babies opened their eyes before they were born! Here are some of my favorites:

Wow, 30 weeks (as of yesterday) has flown by in a lot of ways. I can't believe we are so close to meeting our baby boy. I had two good appointments this week. At my growth scan on Wednesday, he measured 2 lbs 15 oz, and the tech could even see that he has hair. His heart rate is in the 150s, and he is still very active. I absolutely love feeling and seeing him move. I did find out that my doctors want to induce labor at 38-39 weeks to reduce the risk of another stillbirth. I'd rather not have to be induced, but if it is best/safest for baby boy, that's okay. I also like knowing that he is coming sooner rather than later. Oh, and we decided to announce his name. Introducing...Ryan Joseph :) This shot is looking straight at his face: We had the nursery painted this week, and DH got the crib assembled with the help of our friend, so the nursery is coming along! Here is the crib: We don't have a mattress yet (waiting to see if we get it from our registry), but he w...

I can't believe I have made it to 3rd trimester (28 weeks). I definitely feel like I look like it now. I can't hide the baby bump! Since last time I wrote, we made two trips to OB triage for frequent BH contractions. The first time was the Friday before Christmas, and we had to go back the following Sunday. They monitored me and baby, did urine and fFN tests and an ultrasound and did not see any signs of PTL, thank goodness. I still have a lot BH, but I'm trying not worry about it. My doctor said I don't need to go in unless they are regularly several minutes apart and uncomfortable. I'm just trying to rest when I can and stay hydrated. My last u/s was on Dec. 28. At 26w5d, baby boy was measuring a little bit ahead at 2 lbs 5 oz (61st percentile). In the picture, that is his foot up against his forehead. You'll have to turn your screen sideways...I can't get it to post the right way: And a bump pic from Friday (27w5d):