7 weeks old

Somehow, Ryan has gotten to be 7 weeks old! I knew time would fly and it has...

He does smile some :) I just can't catch it with the camera! Can't wait though...it is SO cute! He is over 12 pounds now and is changing every day. Right now we are working on getting him to take naps in his bed...he on the other hand, would be perfectly content to be held 24/7. And he was a large portion of his early weeks...so many people with so many hands who wanted to hold him! Including his daddy and me! They say you can't spoil a baby this young...but I am not too sure! Oh well, I am glad he likes to cuddle! It's my favorite! But like I said we are working on it and making small progress.

I go back to work in 2 weeks already. I am so thankful to get to bring Ryan with me. I am praying that it works out ok! Hopefully we can do that for 6 weeks or so. Thank God for a job with flexibility.

I am still in awe of this baby! He is such a joy...even when he is crying :)

Merry Christmas

What a great couple days we had celebrating Ryan's first Christmas! Christmas Eve was non-stop action but today was just us at our house. We had visits from grandparents but other than that we had a laid back day just us. We are so thankful that we have Ryan with us this year! Next year, he will be into everything so this year we enjoyed the calm :)

Snow!

What an amazing early Christmas gift! SNOW! I had the perfect day...at home with a sweet baby, fire in the fireplace, Christmas lights on inside and out, wrapping some Christmas gifts and looked up to see snow falling! Oh, and Michael got to come home early so we all got to spend the afternoon together...

3 weeks

Ryan is 3 weeks old already! He is a sweet boy with a big appetite! I was a little worried this past Monday and Tuesday because I would feed and feed him and it would take him FOREVER to get satisfied. We would sit and eat/burp, eat/burp for 1-1/2 hours...seems like a really long time especially since he used to eat for 10 to 20 minutes. I was just worried about over feeding him. I asked a friend about it (thanks Jessica!) and she helped put my mind at ease...probably a growth spurt. I think she was right! Today was a better day and he weighs 9-1/2 pounds now!

We are in the middle of a COLD snap here! LOVE IT! Feels like December :) Today, Ryan and I went to mom and dad's for the day. It was good to get out of the house and it was the first time I drove with Ryan by myself. We did great :)

It's 9 o'clock and I am gonna try to go to bed now! Ryan sleeps so well BEFORE midnight I figure I might want to try to get a couple hours before then too!

Thanksgiving

Ryan's shirt says "I'm stuffed!"

We had a great Thanksgiving. We spent Wednesday night with my parents. It was great to be out of the house a little. Ryan did not have a good sleep night so that was a little difficult. But we had a great day Thursday and ate our Arceneaux traditional Thanksgiving food. So yummy!

I am so thankful that Ryan slept very well last night. I got 2 hours of sleep in between feedings so I feel good :) We decorated out tree today and Michael put lights outside! What a great day! And we still have two days all together before Michael has to go back to work :)

We have so much to be thankful for!

Growing...

Ryan had his 2 week appointment today. We went last Monday for his 1 week and he weighed 7lbs 2oz. 9 days later he weighs 8lbs 3 oz! I think he is a good eater, don't you?! The outfit I had for him to come home from the hospital was huge on him then. I put it on him today and....it fits! It's amazing how fast things change!

He also lost him umbilical cord yesterday!
Now he has a belly button! So cute :)

We have seen a change in Ryan's alertness too. On Monday, he was awake for several hours several different times and we got to see a little more of his personality. He is a sweet boy.
Last night was a better night as far as sleep for mommy goes. I got 2-1/2 hours and about 2 hours straight which makes a big difference.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! So thankful to be celebrating with our precious boy this year!

Ryan is eating and growing! I can see how quickly things will change with him. I am trying to soak it all in and enjoy. He is 12 days old now and we can tell that his face is getting a little fuller. Also his ears are loosening up a little...they were pancake flat against his head and the top was folded down a little. But they are changing now. He head is getting stronger and so is his cry :) He still has his good skin color...must have gotten that from Michael's side of the family. His eyes are a deep blue. His hair is still black but we think it might be lightening up a little in spots.

My parents went home yesterday but have been here this whole past week. What a blessing. I don't know what I would have done without them. They will be back on Monday :) for a couple days. They are in love like we are! Thank God for people who help to support us.

Amazed

Ryan is doing so well! Remember on a previous post I had a list of 3 things I was praying for about the birth. The Lord answered all three requests! He is so faithful.

I am trying to keep up with Ryan and his developments on this blog so that I can print it out and have a memory book for him. So I thought I would start with the birth story...

Sunday night started "pre-labor". Had a lot of contractions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 min apart but no rhyme or reason to them. Monday afternoon they started again and then stopped. Started again about nine o'clock and went on for hours. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 minutes apart. Was up for a couple hours again in the night with Michael timing them. Then they started again at 5:30 a.m and would not stop again. Went to work that morning because I still has some things to take care of and I had a meeting with the accountant. I was showing my boss a few things on my computer and he was timing my contractions for me :) So funny! After short meeting with the accountant, timing contractions all the while, we had an appointment with Dr. Bost at 2:15. At this point, the contractions were coming about 3 minutes apart and the pain was definitely increasing. But Dr. Bost said I was only dilated to a 2. I said "you have got to be kidding". He said "I don't kid about that". :) He sent me home to get in a hot bath and take tylenol and see if the contractions would stop. At this point I had been having steady contrations for 9 hours so I was pretty sure they weren't gonna stop. Met mom and dad at our house and got in the tub. Needless to say they didn't slow down, only got stronger and harder. They were about 2 to 2-1/2 min apart and lasting 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. I was starting to feel like I was gonna throw up and/or pass out during the height of all this. So we made the executive decision to head back to the hospital. When they checked me out, I was dilated to a 4-5. I had just asked the lady how far along I had to be to get an epidural and she said 4. When I heard where I was I said "Thank you Jesus! Can I get an epidural now?" Miracle drug. Within 45 minutes I was feeling no pain. The rest of the evening went by so fast and before I knew it, they were telling me it was time to push.

So the first prayer was for Ryan to be head down...thank you Lord.

The second prayer was for a good delivery nurse. When we first got there the nurse was wonderful. I don't remember her name but I liked her. Then when the 7 o'clock shift came on, in walked the teacher of our childbirth classes! Michael knew her from Orangefield and we had even said how great it would be if she was our nurse. She works part time and it was her first night back after being off two weeks! We were so excited!!! She was WONDERFUL! Such an answered prayer...thank you Lord for Amanda Goss.

When it was time to push, I couldn't tell because of the epidural :) But thank the Lord again, I only had to push for 3o minutes! I thought the whole process was completely amazing. I am in awe of how the Lord designed us.

Ryan inhaled some mucous on the way out so they wanted to watch him in the nursery for a little bit. We had quite a few people up at the hospital (about 20) but it was our parents and Jenny who stayed late to get to hold him. Can't believe he is here and he is ours!

The third prayer was that breast feeding would go well. It did not go great the first day but having a lot of help at the hospital was really encouraging. I was a little past tired and hormonal on Wednesday night and Ryan wouldn't eat, so Amanda suggested that we let the nursery take him for the night and they would bring him back to me when it was time to eat. They gave him some formula in the nursery but when they brought him back to me at midnight he ate right up...same for then rest of the feedings that night. And every day/night since! Thank you Lord that feeding has not been a problem.

We got to go home on Thursday! It was so strange to be home with him for the first time. Wow! Our life has changed! Mom, Dad and Michael's sister Amy stayed with us for the first night. People from my work have been bringing food since last Saturday which has been an amazing blessing.

We are so in awe of this child that the Lord has blessed us with! I am truly amazed at the love I feel for this precious baby. I can't wait to see what our future holds!

He's here!

Ryan Paul King

born November 10, 2009

8:32 p.m.

7 pounds 6 ounces

Precious baby boy Ryan! He came a little bit early and we couldn't be more thrilled! I will give more details later but just wanted put a picture of him for you to see. Praise the Lord for his blessing!

Ryan's Room---Take 2

I finally got around to taking some pictures of Ryan's room! I still would like a few more things for the walls in a few spots but I am pretty happy with it :)

We have a small bassinet and changing table in our room for when he is a newborn. I'm sure we will be spending some nights upstairs in the guest room when he moves up there!

I had my first weekly doctors appointment last Tuesday. Dr. Bost said that Ryan is head down!! I was surprised because we (including Dr. Bost) thought that his head was over on my right side...turns out it must have been his booty we were feeling :) He said I was dilated to a 1 and 70% effaced. Also, Ryan is in the birth canal between -2 and -1. I am so thankful things are going the way they should! I go back this Tuesday and cannot wait to find out if any more progress has been made. He's almost here!

Baby Shower

Somehow I have skipped over a post about the wonderful baby shower that we had! It definitely deserves a post all it's own! It was so perfect :)

It was at Memorable Moments at Maggie's in Groves. It was such a cozy, sweet place! Jenny spent so much time working to make it perfect and it was! Thank you to everyone who helped with the shower and everyone who came! We felt very loved! Ryan has a lot of people who are excited to meet him!

I love this picture of Jenny! I think she looks like a movie star...look at that pose :)

We had a yummy brunch with breakfast casserole, banana nut muffins, blueberry muffins, fruit salad :), chocolate cupcakes, orange juice and coffee.

The theme of the shower was "Feather the Nest" and these were some of the decorations. Aren't they so cute?! (p.s. Jenny and Chris pained all the bird houses and Ryan's train and made the ribbon ball!)

Look at these sweet boots!! Michael got them for Ryan along with a pair of Wranglers, a cowboy shirt and hat :)

These are a few more pictures for our out of town friends/family. Wish you could have been there!

36 weeks

Still feeling good! I went to Dr. Bost yesterday and he said Ryan is still growing well! He guesses Ryan will be 6-1/2 to 7 pounds at full term. Still praying he gets in the right position at the right time. Now I go every week to see the doctor! I'm pretty sure this is the only time in life that you look forward to sitting in the waiting room and getting weighed :)

I still have a lot to do! I am taking off on Friday and mom is gonna help me sew curtains for Ryan's room and finish getting some other things ready. I was realizing today how much more I need to get done at work. Time to get it done!

This past Sunday after church, we went to Jenny and Chris' for lunch. Jenny made some yummy Carrabba's Chicken Soup! After lunch we made these too cute cupcakes:

The web is white chocolate...oh so yummy! My sister got the creativity of the family :) She needs to open her own shop...one day!

Ryan's Room---Take 1

It's not finished but it is better than it was!

I had so much fun going through all his clothes today! I took a lot of things out of packages and got some of it sorted out. I cannot wait to put him in those clothes!

I need to finish (obviously) his room and get things on the walls. But I finally feel motivated (wouldn't call it "nesting"---not that strong of an urge!) to get some things done. Did any of you experience "nesting" or is that an old wives tale?

Reflection

Yesterday was a fun day! I did get a lot of things done! I am planning on working in Ryan's room a little this afternoon and I will take a picture to put on here. It was SO nice to be out in the cool air! I am not the only one who thought this apparently...everywhere I went, there were TONS of people. Everyone had their winter boots and scarfs on! I thought it was funny but I can totally relate! We all grab on to ANY opportunity to wear our clothes for cool weather!

I had a moment of reflection when I was standing in line at Hobby Lobby (cause you KNOW there is always a line at Hobby Lobby!) I remember last Christmas season I was there and literally everywhere I turned, I saw a pregnant lady. I thought to myself "you've got to be kidding me! Is this some kind of a joke?!" There were THAT many! I know that is how it is. When you are waiting for a spouse, all you see is happy couples everywhere you go. When you are waiting for a baby, it seems babies come out of the woodwork. Anyway, back to my reflection :) I had a moment of thankfulness as I was standing in line that this year I get to have the blessing of being pregnant. I am SO very thankful! Also, I thought about all the other people standing around me and that I have no idea what they are going through, just like all the ladies last year didn't know what I was going through.

Pastor's message was so good this morning. The main message was that God loves us, gave his Son's life for us and wants to bless us but it is up to us to accept His gift of love. So many people just don't accept it!! Another point was for us to look for opportunities to meet a need for others and look for ways to make others feel valued. It made me think of yesterday and with the holidays coming up, looking for ways to bless others and letting them know that you care and He cares what they are going through! I know that I will be a little busy this year (as we all will be) but I pray that I will have and take the opportunities to care for others! I know I am thankful for all the people who take the time to care for me.

Finally!

A cool front! Love the weather outside today :) Michael is taking a concealed handgun class so I am gonna make the most of this day. Gonna work in Ryan's room a little and then return a few things from the shower last week. I just got a few duplicates so it shouldn't be a big deal. The main thing to do is get a mattress for Ryan's bed. Hopefully later I can put a picture on here of his bed looking like a baby bed :)

This is a new picture of me at 33-1/2 weeks. You might not be able to tell I am bigger from the last picture but trust me...I am!

The past 5 mornings or so, when I have woken up in the morning (before I get out of bed) it feels like Ryan is trying to stretch! My belly feels like he's trying to come out on both sides! It doesn't hurt but it feels weird! Poor thing--he's probably got some major claustrophobia going on. Hang in there buddy...only 6 weeks to go!

10 inches...

Just need to make a note so I won't forget! At 33 weeks, my belly has officially grown 10 inches! Wonder how much bigger it's gonna get?! P.S. My belly button is still hanging there:)

Baby Bed

Well...we finally got our baby bed in today! LOVE it!

The finished product

Not a great picture but you get the idea! I am gonna work on getting a mattress this weekend and put the bedding out. THEN it will look like a baby bed :) I am excited about getting his room together now!

I had another appointment with Dr. Bost yesterday. Ryan is growing well and everything looks good! I go in another 3 weeks and then I start going every week!

Girl's Weekend!

Last weekend, mom, Jenny and I went to Houston for a girl's weekend!  We have tried to do this the past 2 falls but mom and dad ended up being out of town for dad's work so it never worked out.  We took the opportunity now while we could!  

We stayed at our favorite...

The Magnolia Hotel in downtown Houston.  We loved it as usual!  They have free cookies and milk every night!

On Friday, we went to the underground place downtown where there are restaurants and shops (I don't know if it has an official name:)  We had always heard of it but never been there.  We were a little "underwhelmed"!  Don't know if we missed some of it but we didn't see a whole lot.  Then we went to the Galleria area to shop and ended the evening by eating at The Cheesecake Factory. We LOVED it! While we were at the Galleria, we went to Dylan's Candy Store. Michael and I had been to the one in NYC and this one was so precious too!  Every candy you can every imagine...right under one roof!  Fun atmosphere. The lady who started Dylan's is Dylan Lauren, the daughter of Ralph Lauren.

On Saturday, we started out at Rice Village shopping area.  Mom and Jenny went a little crazy buying stuff for Ryan...let's just say he definitely had the most bought for him!  There was a precious and VERY OVERPRICED maternity store that we enjoyed browsing through. Then we searched for a Super Target but could not find one.  Finally ended up at Memorial City Mall and did a little shopping. After that we were a little shopped out, so we went downtown to have dinner. We ended up here:

This was the coolest restaurant!  It is at Discovery Green park downtown.  The atmosphere was very New York :) The food was ok but the whole setting was worth the extra money just because it's fun!  Discovery Green is the neatest park! I would like to go back to spend a little time there.  They were having an outdoor movie the night we were there and they have lots of activities each week.  It's within walking distance of the hotel but it's quite a few blocks so I wouldn't do that until it's cool outside.  

We had a great weekend together!  I am always amazed that we live so close and don't get a lot of "quality" time together.  Everyone is so busy.  I am thankful we had this time together!  We'll have to make sure we do it again sooner rather than later!

Baby Boy Boom

What is going on?! I know 5 ladies who are pregnant besides me. 

5 out of 6 of us are having BOYS!  

Just seems to me it would be a little more even.  

I will be 32 weeks tomorrow!  Time keeps moving forward and I still don't seem to be getting motivated to do things around here.  When is nesting supposed to kick in?! I figured it would have by now.  Maybe that means I need to motivate myself and get busy! 

I am still feeling great!  Enjoying this season of life so much!  

Thoughts

I have been thinking of the actuality of bringing a baby home!  Whoa nellie.  I don't know why I haven't really thought about it in depth until now.  Maybe a subconscious self-preservation thing...but the fact is in about 11 weeks, we will bring home a baby that we are 100% responsible for!  What a responsibility!  

I have been around babies my whole life so they don't really SCARE me.  I have a ton of younger cousins (I am 2nd oldest of 21 grandkids on my mom's side alone) and I loved helping take care of them when I was younger, but thats been awhile. We have three nieces but I have not been around a baby boy much lately.  I am thinking of the things that you don't think about until the baby is YOURS.  Immunizations, soap, circumcision, sleeping position, feeding schedule...the list goes of for miles. I was laying in bed the other night picturing this baby that will be our blessing from God...for life!  

We go to childbirth classes this week...another thing that I have intentionally NOT thought much about :)  But now is the time to start!  I know we have a lot to learn and I am eager to. Breastfeeding class is in October and CPR class early November.  I'm so thankful that they offer these classes at the hospital.  

3 main things I am praying for about childbirth:

1) I would really LOVE to not have to have a c-section.  But if necessary, that's fine.  Just praying that Ryan gets in the right position and things progress as they should.

2) A good delivery nurse!  I think this could make or break your experience!  

3) Ease with breast feeding. I know some people who have had an easy time with it and some people who have not.  Praying it won't be a struggle.  I will do it either way though.

I realize that I still have 11 weeks to go :)  Just thought I would share some of my thoughts right now.  

Natchez

There is a town in Mississippi that Michael and I have fallen for...Natchez. It is right on the Mississippi River. Such a picture perfect small town, like one you would see in the movies!

This picture was from last October when we went and it was the weekend for the Great Mississippi Balloon Race. We have been looking forward to going back ever since!

We stayed at the Monmouth Plantation and it is amazing! It was voted one of the "500 Most Romantic Hotels" in the world!

The plantation is set up on a hill so you pull in the driveway and look up...and there it is. It looks very majestic.

The first time we stayed here, we stayed in the main house in one of the rooms. This was the view outside the room upstairs...so lovely.

This past weekend, we stayed in one of the old "servants houses" on the property. It's pretty nice too :)

They also have the most YUMMY breakfasts every morning! Oh so good! I don't have any pictures but think quaint building nestled in the trees with breakfast and coffee waiting...perfect :)

On this trip, there was no festival or very many people. We just had a quiet, relaxing weekend away. So nice! But...we are always glad to get back to Texas!