Mango!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

In my opionion, Ryker feels more like a cantaloupe at this point....I think he's a lil' bigger than a mango. I guess we'll see at my appointment next week.

Karate Kid!

Last night after I got settled in bed, I was lying really still to see if I could feel Ryker. I had just taken my vitamins and had some ice water. I felt him start to kick me so I put my hand over my belly and I actually felt him with my hand! I was so excited thinking that maybe Justin would get to feel him kick. Justin put his hand on my belly and nothing happened. I moved his hand and put my hand back, and guess what....Ryker kicked my hand again. This went on two or three times, but Justin never got to feel him. It was so weird. Guess we'll try this again tonight.

Um, a sweet potato?

According to http://www.thenestbaby.com/, Ryker is now the size of a sweet potato. "Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon. "

I guess since he's measuring a little bigger, it explains why I was able to start feeling him sooner. I love me some sweet potato, too, especially with some butter and cinnamon. :-]

Gulf Shores Trip

Justin and I headed to Gulf Shores last weekend for a mini vaca. We stayed w/Summer, Harvey, Dawson and Dayton in their camper. We had a great time!

In this pic, Summer is 7 months and I'm almost 5 months. You can tell how much time she's been spending in the sun!!

We ate at Lambert's in Foley. The food was delish and there was tons of it!! Dawson was so worn out from the beach that he layed down in our lap after eating a few bites of his shrimp. After dinner, the boys went back to the camper w/Jus and Harv to sleep and me and Summer went baby shopping at the outlet!! We bought tons of great stuff for Ryker and Dakota!

We've got Ryker's closet totally organized and ready to be filled with all of his cute things!


This "Heart Breaker" outfit was the first thing that we purchased when we found out he was a boy.



This is an LSU onesie that one of my favorite clients, Laura Andrews, sent me in the mail right after I told her that I was expecting. I just hope that he's small enough to wear it at least once!

Ryker....is that you?

Last night Justin and I were watching National Treasure II. (A great movie BTW). Anyway, I was lying really still and I felt Ryker in my belly. I felt him once and didn't say anything and then I felt him again a few moments later. I hollered at Justin, "I just felt Ryker!!". I explained to him that it felt like when you have a goldfish in a ziploc bag and the fish pokes at your hand while you're holding the bag. How exciting!!

Hormones hit me!

So for the first time since I've been pregnant I got really emotional today. Lynn sent us an email of a video of an older man that entered the Ironman with his son. The catch is that his son is very handicapped. It was amazing what sacrafice, determination and love it took for that father to complete that difficult race. He pulled his son in a raft during the swimming portion, he had pulled him behind his bike during the riding portion and pushed his son in a wheel chair during the running portion. I watched that video and cried...like literally boo-hooed...made sobbing sounds and everything!! The funny thing is that I've seen that video twice before and it never affected me that way. My friend Laura walked up to my desk and was like "what is wrong with you???"....luckily she made me laugh and I dried it up.

Well....it's a BOY!!!

We were able to find out the sex of the baby yesterday and he cooperated with us beautifully! The very first shot that showed up on the sonogram was of a long leg and a lil' wee-wee. I shouted out that it was a boy before Justin or the sonogramist even had a chance to figure it out. We are all so excited that Ryker Coy will be here soon....maybe sooner than we first expected because he's measuring a week ahead. He's gonna be a big boy!!

My first call to the doctor....

Well, I suspect that I have a bladder infection. My lower back has been hurting and I've been cramping more than usual. There's also a feeling of pressure on my bladder. I gave it up and called the nurse this morning and once I told her my sypmtoms, she also said it was probably a bladder infection. She called me in some microban and said to drink plenty of water. I really thought I drank a lot of water already, but I'll for sure be floating now! Hopefully it'll clear up pretty quickly. I guess I'll have a date with bottled water, microban, and the couch this weekend. Oh well.

I had an epiphany last night....

I finally came to the realization that just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean that I MUST eat big lunches that cost lots of money. I'm feeling really good and my weight is totally under control so far, so as long as I eat something, I'll be fine. Today, I decided to bring myself the ol' standby...a Ham and Cheese Lean Pocket. No, it's not a Double D's Philly Steak Sandwich or some yummy Chinese from the Bamboo Inn, but my belly and baby are still happy.

Baby Boy or Girl?

Only 6 more days before we'll know if it's a boy or girl! I can hardly wait to start calling the baby by name and saying "he" or "she". I really hope that we'll be able to tell on this sonogram. I'm praying that the baby won't be shy and try to hide itself!

Fun in the Sun!

Last weekend, Baylee and Marleigh came over to visit and take a dip in the pool. They were so cute in their swimsuits and seemed to really enjoy the pool. I think their Daddy's enjoyed it, too. I can't wait until Ryker or Blaire can join in on the fun!